The Kings of Forks
by ladyinblue6
Summary: Hockey is an emotional sport for the players and the fans. For TT25.
1. Prologue

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Worry  
**Pen name: **ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon. For the most part, Edward and Bella  
**Rating:** M

**This is going to be a multi-chapter fic. I feel like a bag for adding another multi-chapter fic to my list of things to do, but honestly, I couldn't believe how perfectly the chapters I already have written fit with the prompts for TT25. So, I'm choosing to make The Kings of Forks my TT25 fic. (: Enjoy!**

There's always that motherly figure in your life that you would never expect to hear a curse pass through her saintly lips. Esme Cullen was that person for me. That is unless she was watching her son play hockey.

"Pass the fucking puck!" she yelped. "Start playing, you little shits!"

Saintly, matronly Esme was swearing like a sailor. It was still shocking to me, even though I'd sat with her at every Kings game since I'd moved to Forks. After an entire season, lasting from October to March, every curse word still made me snicker a little bit to myself.

This time, however, I wasn't laughing. The State Final was taking place. It was most certainly not a laughing matter, especially when the Kings were down three to two.

The La Push Wolves were a force to be reckoned with. I was just hoping we'd have enough strength to push through.

**Posting will be random. I have up to chapter five finished, and I'm going to try to finish this as quick as possible. Probably won't post a lot this month. I'm in high school, so finals are a huge burden on my shoulders right now, and although I do love to procrastinate, my grade twelve year is most certainly not the time to do so. **

**Love,  
Mary**


	2. Chapter 1

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Bound (Explanation: Bella's bound to her father even though she abandoned him. Does that make sense?)  
**Pen name: **ladyinblue6  
**Pairing: **Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

* * *

I never thought I'd see the day. I was leaving Phoenix and my mother to go to Forks and my father. Sometimes I hated myself for being so selfless.

"Bye, Mom," I murmured into her sandy hair. "I'll phone you when I land, okay?"

She nodded and sniffled, squeezing me tightly once more before letting me go. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

I boarded my plane and sighed, already saying goodbye to the sunshine and warmth. I was off to a town that was under a constant cover of clouds.

What the hell was I getting myself into?

--

When I finally got to the Port Angeles airport, I began looking for my dad, Charlie. Last time I talked to him, he said he'd be waiting for me. I couldn't see him anywhere in the crowd. Instead, I saw my name on a piece of cardboard with a young man in a police uniform behind it. Typical. Send the rookie to pick up the baggage. Real mature, Charlie.

"Hey," I greeted when I made my way to the poor guy. "I'm Bella."

"Oh, hi, Bella," the rookie greeted. "Your dad's at hockey tryouts today, so he couldn't come. He's sorry."

"S'okay," I mumbled.

The ride back to Forks was boring. The rookie didn't like talking and the country music on the radio was depressing.

Hockey always came before family in Charlie's life. That's why I wasn't a part of one big, happy family. Charlie had been a good hockey player. He played on the national team for World Juniors in the eighties and then got drafted to the Montreal Canadiens, where he won the Stanley Cup alongside Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky still sent Charlie a Christmas card every year.

Charlie picked up Renee back when they were in high school. Renee said that there had been a time when Charlie had loved her more than hockey. I found that hard to believe. Hockey was my dad's life.

Charlie got traded to Calgary, which was slightly closer to home, in 1992, when I was a year old. Renee said that she wanted Charlie to choose between her and hockey, and he obviously chose hockey without missing a beat. Charlie played until 1995, when he finally retired and moved back to Forks.

Technically, I'm a Canadian native because of my dad. I'm a hockey baby. I was like the sweetheart of the team. Renee said that all the boys from the Canadiens got their picture taken with me after I was born. I got my picture taken with _the_ Wayne Gretzky when I was only a day old.

So, yeah, I was used to being put on the back burner for hockey. I almost expected it now.

"Can you take me to the rink?" I asked when we passed the "Welcome to Forks" sign.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Rookie answered.

I was left at the front door, facing a giant sign that read "The Charlie Swan Rink. Home of the Kings of Forks." The Kings were my biggest competition in life. They took away attention from me. It was like having twenty brothers, all of which Charlie loved more than me. At least that's what it felt like sometimes.

The suitcase I brought to Forks wasn't very big, thankfully. I had to haul ass up a bunch of stairs into the gigantic, pristine rink that was Charlie's home away from home.

The shuffling of my feet and the rolling of my suitcase were the only sounds in the room. I walked up to the plexi-glass and watched at least fifty guys do starts and stops on the clean sheet of ice. Then I saw Charlie, standing on near the penalty box on his skates with his hands on his hips. He was watching the boys with a scowl on his face, his assistants chatting amongst themselves and pointing out at the kids on the ice.

I knew hockey better than a lot of people. Charlie talked hockey all the time and eventually, I picked it up. There had even been a period in my life when I followed hockey religiously. My favourite team is still Montreal, even though they've fallen behind in the past few years. My new favourite player was Sidney Crosby because a) he was damn good and b) he was hotter than Ovechkin. I still looked at stats for Forks every year, picking out the players that I thought would make it farther than AAA Midget, and I was usually right.

Even though hockey had ultimately broken my family apart, I still loved it. I went to games in Phoenix all the time with Renee's new husband, Phil. I wasn't a huge Coyotes fan, but just being a regular at an NHL game made me feel closer to my dad. I could almost understand why he chose hockey over Renee and me when I watched the game.

This was going to be a good year for the Kings. They hadn't lost a lot of talent last year, minus they're fantastic goalie. But that wouldn't matter when you had a brick wall like Emmett McCarty standing between the opposition and the goalie. I tried picking out which of the bodies belonged to Emmett on the ice.

Charlie blew his whistle. I wondered how long they had been doing the drill. Some of the kids looked like they were going to hurl all over themselves. I sat down. I knew I would be waiting for a long time.

Charlie explained the next drill while I called Renee.

"Hey, Bella," she greeted.

"Hi, Mom," I replied. "Just letting you know I'm in Forks."

"Have you settled in yet?"

I sighed. "I haven't even set foot in the house yet."

"Oh, no," Renee gasped. "You're at the rink, aren't you?" I didn't need to answer, Renee already knew. "That ass! He knew you were moving today. Why couldn't he have had tryouts tomorrow?"

"It's okay," I assured her. "I asked the rookie to drop me off here."

"Well, okay, then," Renee said reluctantly. "Tell Charlie to phone me when you guys get home."

"Will do."

"Bye, I love you."

I snapped my phone shut. They had split the team up in half. There was a goalie in each net. They were doing shootouts. I leaned forward. Would anyone be able to replace Mark Smith?

The goalie farthest away from me was decent. He got deeked out a few times, but I had to give the guy props. He was doing damn well for the very beginning of the season.

But the goalie closest to me was nothing short of amazing. There hadn't been a puck in the net yet. Even our top scorer from last year, James Hunter, couldn't get anything past him. I wished I had a program. The extra goalie last year had been absolute shit. Who was this guy?

Charlie was grinning as he watched the goalie. Charlie hardly ever smiled at players. This guy was damn good and there's no way in hell Charlie would cut him.

The two teams started playing shinny after the shootout. The team with the good goalie dominated. They had James, Emmett, and two of the starters from last year. They also had someone I didn't recognize. He might have been an underplayed rookie last year. He was _good._ Quick as a whip with a mad wrist shot. Left-handed. I would be surprised if he didn't make starting line.

After an easy six-zero win, everyone took a knee and removed their helmets. Charlie started talking, cracking jokes with his boys. He was in his element out there. I smiled fondly as he clapped with his assistants as the boys hit the showers. That's when Charlie finally noticed me. He smiled sheepishly at me, giving me a quick wave. I waved back, trying to hold back a big, stupid grin. I was meant to be Daddy's little girl, but I never really got the chance.

The booth window opened and my stomach growled as the deep fried, greasy good smell wafted throughout the lobby. One by one, the boys came up to the booth, talking to the moms and dads as they ate their delicious rink food. I was too scared to approach the booth. There'd be fifty boys, many of them good looking, staring at me, wondering who I was and why I was here. I didn't want to attract unwanted attention.

Unfortunately for me, my dad's oblivious to this fact.

"Bella!" he yelled from the opposite end of the rink. "Come give your old man a hug!"

A pathetic "Oh God" left my lips as I buried my red face in my hands before standing up, an embarrassed smile spreading across my lips.

The entire lobby was silent. Every single person watched me stand up and walk over to Charlie before getting pulled into a quick squeeze of a hug.

"Boys, this is my daughter, Bella," Charlie announced, his arm thrown around my shoulders. "Bella, these are all the guys trying out for the Kings."

"Hi, Bella," one of the players at the back yelled.

Charlie chuckled while I waved to everyone. They started talking again, and I knew all the chatter was about me. People knew that Charlie had a daughter, but I hardly ever made an appearance in Forks. For most of these people, it was the first time they'd ever seen me or even heard me name.

"Now, how about we eat some rink food?" Charlie suggested with a smile. "When's the last time you've eaten at a rink?"

"Uh, March, I guess," I told him. "But it was in Phoenix, so the food wasn't nearly as greasy."

Charlie chuckled. "Well, be prepared to suffer from a heart attack, Bells. This stuff is deadly."

We grabbed cheeseburgers and fries before sitting down at a table with all the assistants. I recognized some of these people at least. There was Carlisle Cullen, the trainer; Jack Stanley, the stats man; and Lyle Weber, the assistant coach.

"Who's the new goalie?" I asked while the guys scarfed down their burgers.

"Jasper Whitlock," Lyle answered. "Just moved here from Houston, Texas. I thought we'd never find anyone half as good as Mark. That was a stroke of luck, I tell ya."

"And who's the guy with the killer wrist shot?" I asked while dipping my fry in the lake of ketchup I'd created on my tray.

Carlisle chuckled. "That's my son, Edward."

My eyes got wide. "Really? Wow, I didn't really recognize him." Edward hadn't even made the team last year or the year before that. He must have settled for AA, maybe even a rec team.

"He's improved a lot," Charlie commented. "He'll make a good left wing."

"I think he's better than James," I murmured before popping another fry in my mouth.

They all smiled at me.

"It's good to have you back, Bella," Jack said. "I forgot how observant she was."

Charlie messed up my hair. "She knows her hockey."

My cheeks lit up like light bulbs. I continued eating in silence, listening to the guys discuss the cuts. They were announcing them tonight. They had an exhibition game in two weeks. That was when the final cut was going to take place.

I grabbed everyone's garbage so they could keep talking and ventured into no man's land. All of the players stared at me while I walked to the garbage can. I felt like a piece of meat being dangled in front of a pride of lions.

"So, you're the Chief's daughter," one of them said. It was the boy with the bronze hair and mischievous green eyes. It was Edward Cullen, the wrist shot kid. Definitely one of the hot ones. I could almost feel my tongue tying itself in knots. I nodded. "Well, welcome to Forks, baby."

My cheeks blazed while the guys all laughed. I hurried back to my sanctuary. My dad was grinning at me, his eyes twinkling with delight. He probably wanted me to end up with one of these guys. Hell, he'd probably sell me to the highest bidder if it meant me finding a good hockey player with a straight shot into the NHL. That kind of worried me.

I sat with my suitcase while Charlie did cuts. I heard the occasional curse, but nothing too serious. I think most of them expected it. The thing I hated the most was the disappointment clouding their faces after their names had been called. I automatically felt guilty, no matter how terrible the player might be.

"Alright, that's it," Charlie finally announced. "Next practice is on Wednesday for those of you still on the roster. See you then, boys."

People started leaving the lobby. I grabbed my suitcase and rolled it over to my dad. He threw his arm around me.

"Bella, I really am glad you moved back to Forks," he murmured.

"Thanks, Dad," I replied quietly as I watched the guys slowly leak out the rink, most of them winking and/or smiling at me, some of them even mouthing the words "Call me." Charlie chuckled. I nudged him playfully with my elbow.

"Let's get you settled in, Bells."

* * *

**I'm not claiming to be an expert on hockey, but I do know quite a bit. I grew up in a hockey town. Correction, I **_**am**_** growing up in a hockey town. Hell, a hockey province. I have two NHL hockey players that live in my town; one of them was my best friend from elementary and middle school's dad. Anyone know of Selmar Odelein? Maybe Lyle Odelein? Yeah, I know them. Selmar's awesome, Lyle's a horny douche. IMO.**

**Anyway, I'm **_**not**_** doing research. I'm going strictly off of my own knowledge, which, I think, is pretty vast. My best guy friend plays AA hockey, and I've been to almost every home game since he started three years ago. **

**Lots of these experiences will be personal. Some of them are hilarious, some aren't. I'll let you know what's from real life for me.**

**Love,  
Mary**


	3. Chapter 2

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Comfort  
**Pen name: **ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

**I'm warning you right now: I am not very good at writing funny banter between boys and girls. There's a difference between being in a real situation and writing it down on paper. I'm not sure if this is funny or not to you guys, but I, personally, was cracking up at what Bella had to say.**

**

* * *

  
**

Thankfully it wasn't hard to get back into the swing of things. My old school and FHS did the same classes during the same semesters, so I didn't have to work to catch up.

Monday was spent figuring out the bizarre set up of the high school. Tuesday was easier. Wednesday even easier than that. I was starting to get used to Forks and, dare I say?, even enjoying it in the rainy town.

The only problem was that I attracted _a lot_ of unwanted attention from the forty players that were left on the roster for the Kings, which brought more unwanted attention from the Queens of Forks. I had always gotten along with guys better than girls, but this was ridiculous. I got called a bitch in the hallway for the first time _ever_ on Wednesday morning. Someone shoved me purposely. It was an experience to say the least.

But, my boys, as I had taken to calling them "mine" in the five days that I'd been in Forks, were there for me. I had people to sit with a lunch and I had partners to work with in every class. This was all okay with me. I'd be with my boys most of the time anyway. By the looks of it, they'd be my only friends.

"Bella!" Mike Newton called as soon as I finished paying for my lunch. "Over here!"

I smiled and waved, trekking over to the table that was occupied by Mike, Tyler Crowley, Eric Yorkie, Edward Cullen, Emmett McCarty, and Jasper Whitlock. I hadn't eaten with the latter three yet.

"Hey, boys," I greeted, sitting down in between Jasper and Mike. "Nervous for cuts tonight?"

They all laughed.

"Hell no," Emmett declared boisterously. "Have you seen me tearing up the ice, baby? I'm a machine."

"Yeah, I know who you are," I replied while prying my milk carton open. "Emmett McCarty, top defence man in the league last year. You had the most penalty minutes and the most take downs. You broke two arms and a clavicle."

"Whoa," Emmett breathed, eyes wide. "Charlie said you knew hockey, but I didn't think you'd actually _know._"

I shrugged, blushing. "I'm a hockey girl, what can I say?"

"Betcha you don't know much 'bout me," Jasper drawled beside me.

"All I needed to know was what I saw on Saturday," I replied. "You got skills, man."

Jasper smiled lazily, leaning back on his chair, balancing it on two legs. "Well, thanks, darl."

"Welcome."

"You don't remember me, do you?" Edward finally asked.

I shook my head, scowling and swallowing a bit of my sandwich.

"We took skating lessons together once when you were visiting Charlie," Edward said, trying to remind me. He grinned crookedly. "You kicked my ass at races."

I vaguely remembered it, although a younger version of Edward didn't come to mind.

"You could lap me like nothing now," I replied. "I'm too clumsy for skating."

"You mean to tell me that a hockey expert like you can't even skate?" Emmett asked. "Jesus, what happened to Charlie? He dropped the ball on you."

"He tried to get me into hockey," I told them. "I'm more of a watcher than a doer, though. In theory, I should be able to kick ass at hockey, but in real life, I suck."

"You're going to need skating lessons," Edward decided.

"Hell no I don't," I replied automatically.

They all laughed at me.

"C'mon, Bella," Tyler pleaded. "It'd be fun."

"Psh, like you guys could even get me to go near a pair of skates," I scoffed.

"We'll see," Eric said ominously.

I snorted. "Yeah right."

"Party at Johnson's next Saturday!" one of my boys, Jason Martin, bellowed.

"Woo!" Emmett called back. "Nice. First hockey party of the year. You in, Bella?"

"Um," I replied.

"Heck yeah she is," Mike answered for me. "The Chief wouldn't want his own daughter miss something like this."

"Sure," I murmured, taking the last bite out of my sandwich. Then a tall blonde with the figure of a supermodel walked up to the table. I was gaping at this Amazon chick, feeling like a troll in her shadow.

"Emmett, you're going to come over tonight, right?" she asked, draping herself over the big guy.

"Yeah, I'll be there, Rose," Emmett replied dismissively.

Then the girl leaned into his ear to whisper something. She kept glancing at me with an evil smirk, like she was proving a point somehow. Emmett growled and laughed at the same time, making the girl on his lap smile before planting a giant, open-mouthed kiss on his lips. She stood, giving me one last cold glare before turning back towards a table of girls who were also staring at me.

"Are all the girls here so territorial?" I asked when she was out of hearing range.

"Nah, it's just Rose," Emmett replied nonchalantly. "We've been dating since freshman year and whenever a new girl comes to Forks she practically pisses on my leg so the chick knows that I'm taken."

"She shouldn't be so self-conscious. She's like fucking Barbie," I murmured, looking at the table of girls.

"Oh, she knows there's no way in hell I'd leave her," Emmett said. "She just likes intimidating poor girls like you."

"Like I'd want you anyway," I replied smoothly.

Jasper whistled with a smile while the rest of them laughed.

"Honey, who said I was trying?" Emmett countered with a panty-dropping grin.

"Well, your girl seemed pretty concerned. Maybe I should tell her to put you on a tighter leash."

"Ho, ho!" Tyler exclaimed. "Bella's on fi'a!"

I popped a carrot in my mouth, smiling at Emmett who was smiling right back. I was in my element among these crude boys. I knew my way around sexual innuendos better than I knew how to apply makeup.

After school, just as I was about to walk the atrocious two-block walk home, Edward pulled up beside me in a silver Dodge Ram Charger. A '010. Dodge. Ram. Fucking. Charger. I almost orgasmed on the spot.

"You wanna ride?" Edward asked with a crooked grin. Another unintentional orgasm.

"Fuck. Yes," I replied breathlessly, running over to the passenger's door and flinging my body inside the truck. My fingers began memorizing the console and my eyes darted around, taking in the interior.

"You like?" Edward asked as the tires squealed.

"No, I _love,_" I corrected. "Seriously. Is this really yours or is it Carlisle's?"

"Technically, its Carlisle's since he's paying for it, but it's my early Christmas present."

"It's only September," I reminded him.

He grinned. "I know."

The ride didn't last nearly long enough. God, I would have given anything to drive the truck. Literally anything.

I sighed, scowling at my new home. "I guess I'll see you tonight."

"You're coming again?" Edward asked, surprised by this fact.

"Well, yeah," I replied. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Why _would_ you?"

"Charlie respects my opinions," I told him haughtily.

Edward snorted. "Doubtful."

My eyes narrowed. "Don't underestimate me, Cullen."

He grinned cockily back. For being a rec player last year, he sure was a confident little shit. I hoped he would have the worst practice of his life tonight.

I hopped out of that sexy truck with my chin in the air. And then I tripped on the curb, falling onto my hands and knees. The trucked remained behind me for a few seconds. I knew Edward was laughing at my graceful escape. I stood up, flipped him the bird over my shoulder, and walked into the house.

--

Practice was intense that night. Charlie was really trying to weed out the weak from the strong. Some cuts were obvious, but there weren't ten players that were horrible.

To my great dismay, Edward was on top of his game. He even had the balls to look up at me in the stands and wave before executing a slap shot that made me cringe when it hit Jasper.

Instead of doing a half hour's worth of starts and stops, the boys did diving lines. That's where Charlie found some guys to cut. Three of them quit and one guy hurled all over himself. It was good to see some weaknesses in the forty guys out on the ice, but also very disgusting to watch.

They played shinny again, but the teams weren't as stacked this time. There was some competition. Edward got demolished by Emmett, earning an internal cheer from me.

After a close game ending with a three-two score for Jasper's team, everyone took a knee again. I listened to Charlie as he explained what would be happening on for the next two practices and next Saturday at their exhibition game against La Push. Then Carlisle started talking about their training schedule and their basic diet outline. The Kings were serious this year. Second place wasn't going to cut it.

I sat with the coaches again while they discussed cuts. I put in my opinions occasionally. I stood with the coaches when the announced cuts this time, silently pleading Charlie to hurry up so I could get away from Edward before he got all smug on my ass.

"Okay, boys, Saturday at two. No drinking on Friday, okay?" That was the cool thing about Charlie. Yeah, he was the Chief of Police, but he wasn't about to get all strict on everyone's ass when there had been a time when he drank underage, too.

Everyone started piling out of the rink, myself included. I jacked Charlie's keys for his F-150.

"Hey, Swan! Watch your step!" Edward yelled from his outrageously sexy Charger.

"Hey, Cullen! How's your ass?" He looked bewildered. "I was just wondering because it looked like Emmett fucked you pretty hard during shinny today."

I could hear him laughing a little bit. "You're something else, Bella."

"And you're an ass," I mumbled as I pulled myself up into Charlie's truck.

* * *

**So, I was at my best friend David's hockey game last night. They tied with the top team in the league, btw. But, anyway, David's mom told me that David's top in the whole league for points (which includes assists and goals) and for penalty minutes. That takes serious skill. He's already got two game's worth of penalty minutes. David's got a wicked temper.**

**Just thought I'd let you know. (:**

**Mary**


	4. Chapter 3

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Earnest  
**Pen name: **ladyinblue6  
**Pairing: **Canon and non-canon  
**Rating: **M

**I'm not always going to be this specific on games, but sometimes I might go into more detail as well. Ask me in a review if you're not sure on some of the terms.**

**

* * *

  
**

On Saturday, the team was cut down to twenty-five. There was only going to be three more guys cut on Saturday. Wednesday was a regular practice, but still really intense. Everyone was keeping pace, though. Charlie was going to have a rough time cutting three more boys.

It was a home game against the Port Angeles Panthers, a team that I knew we'd demolish. Thankfully the guys weren't cocky. Yet.

I went to the game early with Charlie. We were the first ones at the rink besides the custodian of the place. He'd been the custodian of the rink since I could remember and his look hadn't changed much over the years. He was more of a grandfather to me than anything. He used to take care of me while Charlie was coaching. He let me drive the zamboni with him. I didn't even know the guys name. I always just called him Grandpa and neither he nor Charlie corrected me.

"Bells, you wanna plug your iThing into the stereo system upstairs? The bots want music to warm up to," Charlie requested absent-mindedly.

"Okay," I murmured. I climbed the stairs into the gigantic sound booth and hooked up my "iThing" and put on some LMFAO. I didn't know what the guys listened to, but I always ran to these songs.

I watched them run in their Underarmour and sweats. Then there were on the ice and stretching quickly before doing starts and stops. That's when the P.A. guys hit the ice. People started filling the stands on both sides. _Bleed it Out_ by Linkin Park started playing. This was such a sports song to me. It screamed "go hard or go home" to me.

Charlie waved me down. I unplugged my iThing and went to the stands, taking a place near Esme Cullen. She was the only parent I knew.

They played _The Star-Spangled Banner_ over the intercom and then we were ready to rumble.

_Closing Time_ by Semisonic began playing while both teams skated around a bit. The song was slow at the beginning, but, personally, it was all about the lyrics. Seems like someone else listened to the lyrics, too.

"You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here." To me, it was a warning. To me, the song said, "Watch your back, P.A., because we won't hesitate to kick your ass to the curb." Then again, I looked into music too much.

The starting line was strong. Edward, James, Mike, Emmett, and Eric towered over the Panthers. If things went according to plan, we should have a puck in P.A.'s net in about a minute, maybe a minute and a half if someone got a penalty.

Mike faced off against a tiny kid, knocking the puck away easily and passing to James, who dodged the large boulder that was P.A.'s main defence easily and shot right into the goalie.

Finally, after three rather boring minutes, Edward managed to find the corner of the net.

The period continued. Edward, James, and Ben Cheney, an unexpectedly fast first year, all scored and assisted. Hell, Emmett even moved down the ice and managed to find the net. By the end of the first period, the score was six to zero for us.

The second period was a little more exciting. The top dogs hit the bench more than the ice, and the boys that had to duke it out for a spot on the team gave it their all. Jasper was taken out of the net and Garrett was put in. Garrett was a damn good goalie, too. Only first year. Charlie was probably thrilled.

P.A. was getting frustrated. They began lipping off our players, slashing them when the ref wasn't looking, and pushing them whenever someone was in a two-foot radius of them. I could practically see the steam coming out of Edward's ears. I kind of expected that he'd have a bit of a temper. The wings usually stood up for the team; got their emotions too involved. It provided a great game for unconnected fans, but for everyone else, it was embarrassing and unnecessary.

I knew Charlie would be yelling at Edward after the game. The captain of the Panthers pushed Ben and Edward hopped right in, squirming in between the two players and talking to the captain.

"Oh, fuck," Mrs. Cullen muttered under her breath. "Edward, get the hell away from there."

I was shocked, to say the least, to hear curse words come out of Mrs. Cullen's mouth. She was like one of those homemaker's from the fifties. She was perfect in my eyes. And then she dropped an f-bomb, and that made her even better in my eyes.

Edward pushed the captain roughly, provoking the kid to come after Edward. He just sat there while the captain pulled at Edward's helmet, trying to pry it off his head. The captain got kicked out and Edward got a four minute roughing penalty.

The Forks fans started clapping. The stands were full and I hadn't even realized it. Pretty much the whole high school was there. I wasn't expecting this kind of crowd for an exhibition game. I couldn't even imagine what the crowd would be like when playoffs started.

The Kings managed to take the game with a score of eight to zero. It was a promising start to what was sure to be a kick ass season.

I grabbed some fries and sat down in one of the big, comfy chair that looked out onto the ice. I didn't have anyone to talk to, so I just got myself out of the way. Things had always been like this. In Phoenix, I had three friends. One was my mother, one was the girl that worked at the bookstore, and the other was my on-again-off-again boyfriend, Samuel Jefferson. When we were dating, I hung out with Sam's friends, but I never got really close to any of them.

Needless to say, I was surprised when Rosalie Hale and a short girl with spiky black hair approached me. The shorty was grinning from ear to ear and practically skipping instead of walking.

"Hello, Bella," Rosalie greeted. "How was the game for you?"

"Good," I replied, very confused as to why Rosalie was talking to me. "Charlie's going to have a hard time with the next cuts."

Rosalie nodded. "Listen, I wanted to apologize for being so bitchy at school. I thought you were going to be another Jessica Stanley or Lauren Mallory."

"Who are they?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed.

"The pucks," Rosalie told me, disgusted. "God only knows how many Kings they've snatched up."

I frowned, also a little grossed out. "I see. No, I'm not like that. I'm just the coach's daughter and I met all the guys before I went to school for the first time, so they were the only people I knew."

"Emmett explained," Rosalie replied. "But Emmett also said that a lot of the guys were planning to get with you tonight."

My jaw dropped. "Those little shits can think again. These legs stay closed."

Rosalie and the other girl laughed.

"That's good," Rosalie said after she was finishing giggling, "because Alice and I are classy ladies. And we want you to have some girl friends. You interested?"

I'd never had girl friends before, besides my mom. It would be nice to have someone to talk to about girly things and hang out with while Charlie was at practice.

"I sure am," I replied with a smile.

Alice clapped, clearly excited about my acceptance. "Okay, you need to come get ready with us for Johnson's party."

I had thought I was already ready for this party, but apparently I was wrong.

"Sounds good."

"We have to wait for the boys first, though," Rosalie said. "I have to talk to Emmett before we leave."

We sat at one of the picnic tables while we waited for the boys. Rosalie and Alice talked about the girls in our class while I check out the guys on P.A.'s team. They all looked pretty young. Maybe they were building their team up for two years from now.

A few of our younger guys came into the lobby. Their parents talked to them, their younger siblings teased them. Then Mike, Eric, and Tyler came up. They grinned when they saw me.

"Hey, Bella," Mike greeted as he sat down beside me. "What did you think?"

"Good game," I replied with a smile.

Mike grinned. "You're coming to Johnson's part, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm going with Rosalie and Alice," I told him.

Mike looked a little disappointed. "Well, I could give you a ride home, right?"

"No, actually, Bella's staying the night at my house," Rosalie interrupted. "She needs some girl time, too. You hockey boys can't help with that."

"I'd be willing to help," Eric teased with a cheesy grin.

Tyler punched him playfully.

I rolled my eyes and started picking at my nails.

"How about you guys piss off so my boyfriend and his friends can sit here?" Rosalie asked politely.

"Hey, we're friends with Emmett," Tyler said loudly.

"Oh, for the love of Christ, just go eat," Rosalie commanded sternly.

The guys stood up, irritation all over their faces. Rosalie smiled at her handiwork.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around my neck, putting me in a headlock. I bit the arm in front of me, causing the guy to pull away quickly and Alice and Rosalie to start laughing.

"What the fuck, Bella?" Emmett asked, rubbing his arm. "You don't bite. It's not allowed."

"It was a love nibble," I told him with a smile. "Good game."

"Thanks," Emmett murmured, smiling. He sat down beside Rosalie, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "It was like hitting pylons."

"I could tell," I replied with a grin.

Jasper and Edward showed up, both of them sitting on either side of me.

"Good games, boys," I said to both of them, scooting towards Jasper.

"Thanks, doll," Jasper drawled. He threw his arm casually around me. "Not bad for the first games of the season, huh boys?"

"Not bad at all," Emmett agreed. "Looks like Edward's going for the most goals _and_ the most PM's."

Edward smirked. "What can I say? I'm a lover _and_ a fighter." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at me.

I snorted. "Yeah. Right."

Jasper chuckled. "Alright, I'm hungry. I'm gunna go grab some food and then we'll head to that party."

After Jasper left, Edward threw his arm around me and pulled me closer to him, messing up my hair like I was his kid sister. I tried pushing away, but Edward had me locked. So, once again, I resorted to biting.

Edward pushed me away immediately. "Ow! What the fuck was that?"

"_That_ was my teeth," I seethed, running my fingers through my hair. "Don't ever treat me like your twelve-year-old sister again."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of doing that," Edward replied sarcastically, rubbing his side. He stood up. "See you at the party."

"Later, douche," I answered dismissively.

Emmett was choking back laughter. Alice and Rose weren't bothering to hide it.

"You guys are like an old married couple!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"Like I would marry him," I muttered.

"You're so cute together, though, "Alice said dreamily. "I can see it now: Once haters, now lovers. Join us while we commit to each other for the rest of our lives."

That's where Emmett lost his cool. He burst out laughing, his booming chuckle echoing in the lobby.

"Oh, go suck a lemon," I muttered, crossing my arms angrily. "The day I end up with Edward Cullen is the same day I find out I'm actually a lesbian and have a crush on Rose."

"Please end up with Edward soon," Emmett begged, his beefy hands clenched together.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, "Dream on, Emmett."

"Go eat something," Rosalie commanded, pushing Emmett away. "We have a party to get ready for."

"I hope you have a lot of liquor, 'cause I'm going to need it," I warned Rose and Alice as we walked out of the rink.

They grinned at each other. I was in for a well-deserved drunken night.

* * *

**I'm copyrighting the term "iThing." I'm usually not very pleased with my writing. I'm very hard on myself creatively. But I was seriously impressed with that term. **


	5. Chapter 4

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt:** Prelude (Explanation: You might not get this vibe from the chapter, but it's an important chapter. A spark in the engine, if you will.)  
**Pen name: **ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating: **M

* * *

Alice and Rosalie picked clothes out while I mixed a big pitcher of strong vodka and lime. I even took a few shots while I waited for my outfit to be decided.

Rosalie finally decided on a blood red tank top, a tight black sweater, and some skinny jeans. She messed her loose curls up a bit and then turned to look at me. She examined me like I was a blank canvas. Alice came out of the bathroom in a gray, knee-length knit sweater dress with black leggings, giving me the same look as Rose. They made me feel self-conscious.

"You're so _pale,_" Alice said. "You used to live in Phoenix, didn't you?"

I nodded, taking a nervous sip out of my plastic cup. "I'm half albino."

They both cracked up, making me feel a little less tense. I took another gulp of my drink.

"Here." Alice threw me a dark blue tank top. It had a deep v-neck. "Your jeans are cute." They were my favourite pair. I'd had them since ninth grade. They had rips everywhere from my clumsiness. Then Rose threw me a black shrug.

"That should be sexy enough," Rosalie murmured while I stared at the shirts up my hands. "Hurry up!"

I stripped out of my purple, long-sleeved shirt and pulled on the tank top and shrug. Alice and Rosalie shared a smile. They were pleased with themselves.

"Put some mascara on," Alice commanded, thrusting a black tube towards me.

I quickly made my eyelashes thicker and longer.

"Are we done now?" I huffed, grabbing my drink.

"Yeah, we're done," Rosalie said with a grin. "Now, let's play a quick game of Never Have I Ever before we leave for Johnson's." Rosalie paused, thinking. "Hmm. Never have I ever…lived in Phoenix."

I took a drink. They were going to pick on me, I knew it. Luckily I wanted to get loaded anyway.

Alice went next. "Never have I ever had a police chief for a father."

Another drink. It was my turn. "Never have I ever fucked Emmett McCarty."

Rose snorted and took a drink. "So, you wanna get to the dirt? Fine, never have I ever had a one night stand."

Alice and I both drank.

"James," Alice admitted with a mischievous grin.

"Kaden Wilder," I said wistfully. "God, he was so hot."

"Okay, never have I ever been eaten out," Alice said.

Rose drank. We didn't need explanation for that. I had a feeling that she and Emmett had a dirty sex life.

"Never have I ever had a three-some," I announced, my words slightly slurring.

Alice and Rosalie looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Neither have we," Rosalie said with a smug grin. "Now you have to drink."

"Dammit," I muttered before taking another gulp.

"Alright, never have I ever given a guy, besides Emmett, a blow job."

Alice and I both rolled our eyes and drank.

"Did you have a boyfriend in Phoenix, Bella?" Alice asked.

I shrugged. "Kind of. We broke up before I left. It wasn't that serious."

"Told you," Rosalie chirped. "Alice thought for sure that you were a "no man, all men" kind of girl. I knew you had a boyfriend."

"Well, I did have a boyfriend, but we broke up practically every two weeks," I pointed out. "So I had my fair share of rebounds."

"Ha!" Alice barked in Rosalie's face.

I grinned. I hadn't had a girl's night in…well, ever. We continued talking about things you could only discuss with a bunch of girls until we were good and drunk. Rosalie phoned a taxi and we were off. It was already 11:30, so the party was sure to be good. Rosalie had already gotten a few texts from Emmett, begging her to show up. We got dropped off at a little shack on the outskirts of town, where there was a street full of parked vehicles and people scattered across the front lawn. I got out of the taxi and let Alice and Rosalie lead the way.

We entered the house and I grinned. Classic high school hockey party. A complete sausage fest.

"Hey, babe!" Emmett yelled from the living room. He stumbled over to us. "I've been waiting for you."

Rose rolled her eyes at us and then let Emmett lead her to the kitchen to get a cold beer. Alice and I walked into the crowded living room. Edward was on the couch, his arms around a mousy, curly-headed fuck of a girl and a bitchy looking blonde.

"_That's_ Lauren and Jessica," Alice told me in my ear. "Edward's gunna end up with STI's sitting so close to them."

I snorted. "What a douche."

Alice giggled. "Yeah, my brother is such an idiot."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said, holding up my hands, completely shocked. "Wait a second. You're douche's sister?"

Alice laughed again. "Well, stepsister."

"I am _so_ sorry," I apologized, giving Alice a hug. She patted my back.

"No, it's okay, everyone calls him names," Alice assured me.

"I'm not sorry about that, I'm sorry that you're related to him," I corrected.

Alice threw her head back as she laughed. "You're not so bad, Bella."

"Thank you," I said. "Now about this sobering up situation–"

"Don't worry your pretty little head," Alice interrupted. "You just need to flirt a little. These hockey boys'll do anything to tap your hot little ass."

I giggled nervously. "Alright, I guess." Alice winked as I made a bee-line towards an easy kill, Mike Newton. He'd do anything for me.

"Hey, Mike," I greeted, giving him what I hoped was a sexy smile. "Good game."

He grinned and nodded at me. "Hey, babe. You want something to drink?"

"Please," I replied sweetly. Mike handed me a cold beer and popped the top off for me. At least I knew there weren't any roofies in there.

I chatted with Mike while I helped him finish his beer. I was so beyond done for by the time I finally got away from the puppy dog. I sat down on the couch beside Laura or Jana or whoever the fuck the pucks were and leaned back, willing the room to stop spinning.

"Hey," a voice murmured in my ear.

"Who _is_ that?" I groaned.

"It's Eric," the voice said.

My laughter filled the air. Yeah, like I would get with Eric.

"Fuck you, Bella," he exclaimed as he got off the couch, causing me to laugh even more.

"Hey, darl," Jasper greeted, holding a glass of water. "Drink this.

"Thank you," I breathed, downing the water quickly. "Fuck my life. I shouldn't have drunk so much at Rose's."

Jasper laughed. "Probably not. Maybe you would have actually met some people from school. Everyone's talking about you, though."

"All good things, I hope," I said, leaning back against the couch.

"Of course." I could hear the smile in his voice. "You want some more water?"

"Please," I murmured, closing my eyes again.

"Okay, just don't get raped while I'm gone," Jasper teased.

"I'm not making any promises," I replied with a smile.

Jasper chuckled and left.

"Hey!" someone yelled.

I opened an eye. Mike and Eric were standing in front of me, arms wrapped around each other's shoulders.

"What?" I snapped.

Mike grinned stupidly. "Eric's a nice guy." His grin got wider. "And he's got a sixteen-inch cock."

I raised an eyebrow. Sixteen inches my ass. "Show me it then."

Mike started laughing while Eric turned bright red and left. I smiled at my handiwork and looked around to see if anyone else had witness my wittiness. I looked to my left and saw the two pucks and Edward making out instead. I scoffed, disgusted, and fell back against the couch to pass out.

I woke up to the sensation of felt rubbing against my cheek.

"Fuck off," I mumbled, pushing the hand away. There were a few snickers, but no one was defacing me with permanent marker anymore.

I sat still, still very, very drunk. I rubbed my eyes carefully and looked around. There was almost no one left and the sun was already beginning to rise.

"Edward, your girls up, now take off," the Johnson kid yelled. He had an arm wrapped around a girl who was in a bathrobe. Johnson was only clad in a pair of boxers himself.

"Alright, Swan," Edward groaned next to me. "Time for us to blow this Popsicle stand."

"I'm going home with Rose." Wow, did I ever sound like shit. My voice sounded like a cement mixer.

Edward laughed a little. "No, actually you're coming home with me. Rose and Alice ditched you."

"What the…" I was pissed to say the least. What bitches.

"Come on, sweet cheeks," Edward pleaded. "Can we not fight about this and just get you home?"

"Fine," I mumbled, standing up, falling back onto the couch, and standing again. "Let's go, dickweed."

"Whatever, penis face," Edward chuckled.

My hand went to my cheek and I glared at him. Edward led the way out of the deserted house.

"Did you drink anything?" I asked, my annoyance prominent.

"Nope," Edward replied, popping the "p." "I was…busy."

"Yeah, I saw that," I mumbled under my breath.

We both got into the big, sexy truck. Nickelback started screaming through the speakers so loudly that my entire body started vibrating, making me feel queasy. I quickly turned the music down and glanced at the clock. It was five in the fucking morning.

"I can't go home," I gasped. "Charlie'll kill me!"

"You can stay at my place," Edward replied nonchalantly. "Alice isn't home, so you could stay in her bed. Dad won't mind."

"Well, um, okay." It was my only option and the alcohol was making me a little less hateful. "Thanks."

"No problem," Edward replied.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. I kept passing out and waking up, trying to remember what I had done and said while at Johnson's.

We pulled into the garage at Edward's gigantic house and I managed to stumble into the house without breaking anything. Edward grabbed me a bottle of water and some Tylenol before leading me upstairs.

"Fuck sakes," Edward muttered under his breath. "You walk like an elephant."

"Sorry," I squeaked. I didn't want to wake his parents.

Edward sighed. "Just don't freak out, okay?" He turned around.

"Why would I–" Then I was picked up by Edward "What–"

"I said don't freak out," Edward reminded me as he walked up the stairs like a ninja.

I was carried to what I assumed was Alice's bedroom and thrown onto the bed. I felt like dead weight. I couldn't move. I was so tired and still stupid drunk.

"'Night," Edward muttered, turning to leave.

"Wait." Edward turned back towards me. "Why would you get with those two pucks?"

"Why do you care?" Edward retorted while scowling.

"Because you could do better," I replied matter-of-factly. "I could understand if one of the rookies felt one of those girls up, they're still trying to prove themselves. But you're starting line left wing. You're outrageously hot and you drive a panty-dropping truck."

Edward grinned and walked over to the bed. "So, you think I'm hot?"

"Yeah? So what?" I replied. "I think a lot of people are hot."

He rolled his eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed, facing me. "You're not so bad yourself, Swan."

"Oh, well, thanks," I mumbled, embarrassed by the comment. I managed to crawl under the covers. "'Night, Edward."

Edward looked at my intently, like he was examining me. He sighed and looked away. "'Night." He stood up and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

* * *

**Although I could be considered...I don't know how else to say it...an alcoholic by some people, I really suck at describing drunken characters' experiences. So, this is shitty, I know. **

**But, there are some fairly funny personal experiences in this piece. Both interactions between drunken Bella and Eric have happened in real life. Where Eric hits on Bella while she's passed out and when Mike tells Bella that Eric has a sixteen inch cock. Yep. Those are from my life. I wanted to punch "Eric" in the dick when "Mike" told me "Eric" had a sixteen inch cock. Although, David did say that "Eric" does have a fairly large member...**

**As for the permanent marker, I've never unwillingly had marker put on my face. I've let people sign me though. Permanent marker is officially banned from parties. It sucks to get off.**

**Love,  
Mary**


	6. Chapter 5

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Slip  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing: **Canon and non-canon**  
Rating: **M

**A shorter chapter. Forgive me.**

**

* * *

  
**

When I woke the next morning, I thought I was dying. Never had I been so hungover in my life. It felt like someone had cracked open my skull, filled it with bricks, and zipped it shut. My mouth was made of cotton balls and my eyes felt like they had been pulled out of their sockets and then shoved back in. And I had a queasy stomach on top of all of that.

I groaned and rolled over towards my alarm clock. I scowled in confusion when I discovered that my nightstand wasn't even there. I looked over the edge of my bed. _Maybe I knocked it over last night,_ I thought.

"What the hell?" I breathed. Since when did my bedroom have light hardwood floors? All of Charlie's floors were dark. I looked around my room. I wasn't at home. So where was I?

Then I remembered. I was sleeping in Alice's bedroom. Edward had brought me home last night.

I reached down to scratch my stomach and realized that I had no shirt on, just my black bra. I looked under the covers. I didn't have pants on either, just my black thong. How the fuck did that happen?

Someone knocked on the door. I pulled the blanket up to my chin and croaked, "Come in."

"Hey, there, Sleeping Beauty," Edward greeted cheerfully, walking into the room in only his boxers.

"Edward!" I squeaked. "Get out!"

"Why?" he asked, scowling.

"None of your damn business," I snapped.

"_Actually,_ it's _my_ house," Edward disagreed. "So it is my business."

God, he was actually going to make me say it.

I sighed before saying, "Idon'thaveanyclotheson."

"Come again?" Edward asked.

"I" – I swallowed – "misplaced my jeans and tank top."

Edward chuckled. "Now I'm definitely not leaving."

"You ass," I mumbled under my breath. "Then bring my clothes to me."

"Hell no," Edward replied. "I'm not your God damn maid."

My cheeks burned bright red with anger while Edward grinned from the doorway. My clothes couldn't have been far away. They were probably underneath the covers or on the floor right beside the bed.

I tried to search the bed without the blanket falling away from my body. No such luck. I looked over the end of the bed. My black shrug was there, but that was hardly a help. My tank top was near the chair in the far corner of the room. My jeans were near the doorway, right in front of Edward.

"You must have quite the arm," said Edward, "to be able to throw your clothes across the room in your sleep. I'm impressed."

"You're disgusting," I seethed as I snatched up my black shrug. I pulled it around my hips, covering my bare ass before standing up and marching over to my tank top and putting it on.

"How're you feeling today?" Edward asked nonchalantly.

"Absolutely fan-fucking-tastic," I replied sarcastically as I snatched my jeans off the floor and pulled them on. "Can I go home now? Or do I have to accomplish something else before I leave the room?"

Edward shrugged. "Nah. I mean, unless you want to watch me get dressed." He grinned before saying, "I go commando on Sundays."

"That's disgusting," I breathed. "Hurry up. Charlie's probably wondering where I am."

I waited in Alice's room while Edward got ready. He was worse than a girl. I sat in the room for half an hour before Edward re-emerged, his hair still damp from a shower.

"Ready?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

He nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching. "You're sure you don't want to shower here?"

I scowled. "Why? So you can jack my clothes or something?"

Edward shrugged, trying to contain his smile. "Just thought I'd offer. Let's go to the Panty Dropper now."

My cheeks were on fire. I vaguely remembered telling Edward that was hot and drove a panty-dropping truck. It was all true, but Edward most definitely did not need another confidence boost. He was cocky enough as it was.

We walked downstairs where we were greeted with the smell of coffee and bacon. The nausea that had settled in my stomach disappeared. I knew I would feel a lot better if I ate something.

"I'm gunna take Bella home, Dad," Edward announced as he grabbed his keys from the rack beside the door.

"Why didn't you ask Bella if she wanted breakfast, Edward?" Carlisle asked sternly, poking his head out of the entrance to the kitchen.

Edward rolled his eyes silently. "Bella, do you want some breakfast?"

"That would be lovely," I said, smiling at Carlisle.

"Bella, you have a penis on your face," Edward told me seriously before going into the kitchen and sitting down.

I blushed harder than I ever had before and then went to the bathroom and scrubbed my cheek raw.

We sat down at the island in the kitchen and ate bacon sandwiches and had some coffee. Carlisle asked me about school and Renee. I wanted to ask about Alice and Esme, but I knew it wouldn't be appropriate yet. I barely knew them.

I helped Carlisle do the dishes while Edward finished off the excess bacon.

"Thank you very much, Carlisle," I said when we were finished cleaning, "for letting me stay and for breakfast."

"You're always welcome, Bella," he replied with a smile. "See you soon."

Edward and I left the house and got into the truck. Rise Against started blaring through the speakers before Edward turned it down a little.

I wasn't as talkative as I was the night before. Edward opened his mouth a few times to start a conversation, but then would close it again.

The entire ride was silent, except for the music. I was still pretty pissed at Edward for making me stand in front of him half-naked. What a pig. It seriously amazed me that anyone was interested in being friends with him, let alone dating him.

"Thanks for the ride," I mumbled, opening the door before the truck came to a full stop outside my house.

"Wait a sec, Swan!" Edward called before I could leave. "Can I have your number?"

I scowled at him, surprised that he would even ask.

"I mean, just in case Emmett, Jasper, or I feel like partying with you," he continued.

"Fine," I sighed, giving in.

Edward handed me his phone with a grin. I added myself as a new contact, but instead of putting my real name, I put "The Biggest Deal Around." Maybe it would take some time for him to figure it out.

"Text me," I told him with a wink, smiling.

"Stalk you," he promised before I shut the door, rolling my eyes.

What a tool.


	7. Chapter 6

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Morose  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating: **M

**I'm so good at procrastinating. I have up to chapter eleven handwritten as of now, and I'm going to continue typing until after supper. It's only English tomorrow. All I have to do is write an essay.**

**

* * *

  
**

October and November were mostly uneventful. I forced myself to stay sober after the incident at Johnson's. Someone thought it'd be hilarious to spread a rumour that Edward and I were banging now, so I thought it would be best if I just stayed out of the lime light for a while.

Unfortunately, Edward figured out which number was mine only a few hours after I gave it to him and he immediately started a conversation with me. I didn't get it. It seemed like Edward didn't really like me before, so why would he text me constantly now?

Even though I wasn't Edward's number one fan, he did get me back into the social scene. He started asking me if I wanted to go out with him and his friends. Because of him, I became really good friends with Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie. I quickly found a best friend in Jasper, a big brother in Emmett, and sisters in Alice and Rosalie. Edward, however, was still the person I loved to hate. We fought constantly over anything and everything. Edward hated Mexican food, I loved it. He liked Math, I liked English. I fell in love with country music when Jasper introduced it to me; Edward claimed that I made his ears bleed. We were polar opposites. North and South, black and white, winter and summer. People were crazy for thinking we'd ever end up together.

One night after the boys won a game against one of the team from Seattle, I took everyone out for a booze cruise in Charlie's F-150. Jasper and Alice sat in front with me while Edward got stuck in the back with Rose and Emmett, who were making out for the majority of the night. Jasper sat bitch and was the DJ for the night, which made Edward even more pouty.

The three of us in the front were screaming along to Taylor Swift's _Fifteen,_ when Edward suddenly reached up and turned off the music.

"Hey!" Jasper exclaimed. He was easily the drunkest person in the truck, and his accent was extremely thick. "What's wrong with T Swift?"

"Her voice," Edward replied. "I'd totally plough her if she wasn't a country singer."

"Always the gentleman," I said sarcastically. "Jasper's the DJ for tonight, Edward, so back off."

"I haven't got to be the DJ once," Edward whined.

Jasper sighed, his eyes going out of focus. "He can be the DJ if it'll make him stop pouting."

I pulled over so Edward and Jasper could switch spots. Edward plugged in his iThing and started playing some Theory of a Deadman.

Eventually everyone fell asleep except Edward and I. I cursed my friends for being so inconsiderate. I started making my way back to town so I could drop everyone off.

"Pull over," Edward commanded. "I need to take a piss."

I pulled over to the shoulder of the road and hopped out for Edward. He stumbled away from me, unzipping his pants on the run. I waited for him to finish for what seemed like ten minutes. He stumbled back towards me and cornered me against the door of the truck.

"Why don't you like me, Bella?" he asked, his hot breath fanning my face. "Why do you keep fighting me?"

"I don't like you because you're a cocky asshole," I replied calmly. "Now get back in the truck."

Edward grinned before pushing away from me. "Fuck that just makes me want you more."

"Too bad I'm a tease, huh?" I joked as I got back into the truck behind Edward.

He didn't answer. He passed out instead.

I started driving home, dropping Emmett and Rose off first at Emmett's house, which was a farmyard I had been close to when I pulled over for Edward. Jasper hopped out of the truck to puke while Edward snuggled up with me in the front seat. If Alice hadn't been sleeping next to him, I would have shoved him.

When Jasper finally finished hurling, I took off for town. I didn't want Jasper to get sick again, so I was speeding down the gravel roads. We made it to Jasper's house without him puking in the back seat, thank God.

I dropped Alice and Edward off at their house before heading home. Before I even pulled out of the Cullen's driveway, I got a text from Edward.

"U wanna hang out tomorrow?"

I rolled my eyes. "Ya rite, edward. Ur drunk. Go 2 bed."

"Im serious, bella. Im reffing a jr novice game tomorrow. Come."

"If it'll make u go 2 bed, then yes."

"Im not going 2 bed til u come to bed w. me."

I laughed and shut my phone without replying. Texting sober Edward was one thing and texting drunken Edward was another.

My bed had never felt so comfortable. I had just changed into my pyjamas and crawled under the covers when I got another text from Edward.

"Y dont u like me?"

"Fuck," I breathed aloud.

"Edward, i like u as a friend. Sometimes u just get on my nerves."

"Im sorry."

"Go 2 bed."

I shut my phone off after that. If Edward had his way, we'd text every hour of the day. Sometimes I had to make up lies when I got sick of talking to him.

The next morning, I was woken up rudely at ten in the morning after getting less than seven hours of sleep.

"Come on, Dad," I whined. "It's Sunday."

"It's not the Chief," an amused voice replied.

My face, which was stuffed between my two pillows, was a mask of horror. I sat up quickly.

"What the fuck are _you_ doing in _my_ room?" I screeched at Edward.

He grinned lazily. "You said you'd come watch me ref. The game starts at 11:30. We need to get going, Sleeping Beauty."

"How are you not hungover?" I asked grumpily, wrapping my blanket around my shoulders.

Edward shrugged. "I don't really get hangovers."

"I hate you," I groaned, falling onto my back, covering my face with my hands.

The weight changed on my bed. I peeked out from under my fingers. Edward was lying down beside me in my bed.

"Get out," I grumbled, pushing him.

"Nah, I don't think I will," he replied, moving closer to me."Your bed's pretty comfortable."

I sighed. "You are so beyond frustrating."

"So I've heard."

"Okay, if I get out of bed, will you wait for me downstairs?" I bargained.

Edward stood up quickly with a cheerful smile. "Sounds good to me." He started leaving my room. "You're sure you don't want me to watch you change again?"

"No," I barked. "Get out!"

"Okay, okay, okay," Edward said with a smile while backing out of my room with his hands in the air. "I'll be rummaging around your kitchen." He shut the door and started running down the stairs.

I ran my fingers through my hair before I grabbed some clothes and heading to the bathroom. I showered and brushed my teeth quickly before coming down to the kitchen, where Edward was eating some Lucky Charms.

"Ready?" he asked with his mouth full.

"You finish eating," I urged him while I cleaned up quickly.

Edward cleaned out his dish and put it in the dishwasher soon after.

The tiny Kings of Forks were warming up when we got to the rink. Grandpa smiled and waved at me, I waved back. Edward talked to a few of the hockey dad's while I grabbed a coffee.

I stood by the booth and watched Edward interact with all the people in the rink. He was so…different when he around people he obviously respected, people he didn't feel like he needed to impress. He wasn't cocky anymore; he was acting like the kind of guy you wanted to take home to meet your parents because you knew they'd love him.

My breath hitched and my eyes widened when someone grabbed my free hand. Luckily, I didn't spill my coffee all over myself. I looked down at the hand engulfing mine and followed up the arm. It was Edward. I must have zoned out during my observations.

He grinned at my brightened cheeks. "Come on. I need to put my skates on downstairs in the ref's room."

Still shocked that Edward was holding my hand, I let him lead me across the lobby and down the stairs into a little changing room set aside for the refs and linesmen. Edward picked up the clothing set out for him and walked into the bathroom within the change room.

"Have you ever been down here before, Bella?" he called.

"Um, no, not really," I replied while I looked at the hand that had been held seconds ago. It made me cringe when I realized I missed the warmth Edward had provided. "Maybe a couple of times when I took my skating lessons."

"You took skating lessons in the old rink," Edward said, coming out of the change room. He sat down and started putting his skates on, tying the laces with ease.

"Why didn't you play on this team last year?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

Edward shrugged. "All I used to care about was going out and getting trashed all the time. You can't pull shit like that on a AAA team. So I played A. It was fun, but I felt contained. It was so slow paced and everyone knew I didn't belong there. I finally decided to grow up this year."

"I'm glad you did," I murmured without thinking. My cheeks lit up. "I mean, I'm glad you're on the team because–"

"I'm hot?" Edward finished with a grin. The cockiness was back. "Aw, shucks, Bella. You're making yourself blush."

"Oh shut your mouth," I retaliated, standing up angrily. "We were actually having a real talk about something important and then you pull this shit. This is exactly why I don't like you, Edward. You act like I should be all over you, just like every other girl in Forks." I stormed out of the room, leaving Edward stunned.

I sat by myself in the bleachers in the lobby while the first period was played. Watching these young kids skate around made me feel less tense. They were so cute. Some of them could barely hold their sticks they were so small. And when one of them scored, all the kids on the ice went crazy. They were so excited to just be there.

Edward, unlike most people his age, looked like he was enjoying himself. Usually reffing a junior novice team was described as being as fun as watching paint dry. But Edward looked like he was loving it. That made me feel extremely guilty for yelling at him.

When the first period was done, I grabbed a mocha for Edward and took it downstairs for him.

"I'm sorry," I apologized when I handed it to him. "I feel horrible for yelling at you."

Edward held the cup with both hands, looking at me with an embarrassed smile. "No, you were right. I am a cocky asshole most of the time. You're the first girl that hasn't put up with my attitude." He took a sip. "I like it."

"I still feel like shit," I told him, sitting down. "I _do_ like you, Edward, but sometimes you lay it on so thick I just want to smack you."

"Clearly I have to change my tactics," Edward murmured, his green eyes blazing as he looked at me. "I got you to notice me, but for all the wrong reasons."

I sighed. "Edward, I don't know why you're so interested in me. Really. I'm nothing special."

"That's just it, you _are_ something special," Edward countered. "You aren't like the other girls from Forks. You don't put up with my shit. You're funny and half the time you don't even realize it. The fact that you don't try to prove yourself to anyone makes me so envious..." Edward shook his head.

"I feel like I've been in the spotlight since tryouts started. Believe it or not, my friends that I have now became my friends the day you moved to Forks. Before that, I hung out with people that got kicked out of school for drug possession and old losers. I was a loser before you came here."

"I find that hard to believe," I breathed. "You seem to fit in so well here. You couldn't have been a loser, Edward. You just weren't letting yourself be who you _could_ be all along."

The players started going up the stairs.

"That's my cue," Edward said with a sigh. He brushed a hand down my arm. "Thank you, Bella."

The second period went much quicker than the first, and before I knew it, the game was done. The Kings won eight to six.

I waited for Edward at one of the picnic tables. He grabbed some food for both of us and sat down across from me.

"So you don't like cocky guys," Edward said as he dipped a fry in some ketchup. "What else don't you like?"

I shrugged. "Lots of things. Onions, cats, stale water–"

"I meant in guys, Bella," Edward interrupted with a smile.

"Thought so," I murmured. "Um, I guess cocky guys are the biggest turn-off for me. Sometimes it depends on the guy. My old boyfriend, Sam, he liked video games a lot, and it drove me crazy when he'd ditch me to go play Call of Duty. But, one of the guys I dated to make Sam mad let me play video games with him, so I loved the fact that he was a gamer."

"Okay. So, let's compare Jasper and me," Edward suggested.

I sighed. "Fine. Jasper's selfless and kind, but sometimes he's just _too_ nice, you know?" Edward nodded. "I love that he introduced me to country music, but I fell the hardest for Rise Against when you made me listen to them."

"You're welcome," Edward said, pointing at me with a fry.

I rolled my eyes with a smile and continued. "I feel like I have to pretend to hate the things you love just so I can make myself believe you and I will never get along, and when Jasper plays the harmonica, I secretly want to strangle him, but I act like I love it." I shrugged. "You guys are so different. He's country, you're rock. He's laidback, you're driven."

"Interesting," Edward murmured. "Enough of this serious talk, though. Let's talk hockey."

We fell into the much easier conversation quickly. As much as I tried to tell myself I hated Edward, I knew that I was becoming fond of him.

* * *

**On a sad note, I'm done Highland dancing (Google it) forever as of January 23. On a happy note, it's snowed like three feet in the past 30-ish hours. It's absolutely amazing! I love it!**

**Love,  
Mary**


	8. Chapter 7

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt:** Rapacious  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

**This is it, ladies (and gentlemen). The big moment.**

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**

Apparently, the main fundraiser for the Kings was something called a "teen dance." We didn't have those back in Phoenix, so I had no idea what was going on.

Charlie started talking about it in November one morning when we were having breakfast.

"What's a teen dance?" I asked with a scowl.

"You didn't have those in Phoenix?" Charlie looked surprised.

"Obviously not, Dad."

"Well, it's a dance for teenagers," Charlie explained simply. "You don't need to get dressed up all fancy there's a DJ, and you pay twelve dollars at the door to get in. It's our fundraiser.

"I see," I mumbled.

The date was set for December third, right after our first game against the Hoquaim Hounds.

People started talking about the dance as soon as the team spread the word. Apparently this teen dance was a big deal in Forks.

The big day rolled around. The rink was packed with teens ready to paint the town. Girls were dressed in their tightest outfits with their makeup and hair done perfectly. I was in a pair of black yoga pants and Jasper's old Longhorns jacket.

"You are getting ready with us," Alice announced as soon as she saw me. "You don't get how big of a deal this is yet, do you Bella?"

I shook my head.

"Think of it this way," Rosalie said, "if it weren't for the annual teen dance, Emmett and I wouldn't be dating. Things happen on this night. Monumental things." Alice nodded in agreement.

"You can't be serious," I mumbled as I watched Edward glide around the Hounds.

"I'm dead serious," Rosalie told me. "Whether you're willing to accept it or not, tonight is _the_ night, Bella. Your life won't be the same after tonight."

The boys beat the Hounds six to two. Rose and Alice wouldn't even let me stick around to talk to Edward, Jasper, or Emmett. They hauled me out of the rink and threw me into the backseat of Rosalie's red car.

When we got to Rose's house, Alice picked out my clothes while Rosalie practically undressed me and threw me into the shower herself.

"We only have until eleven," Rosalie warned. "Better pick up the pace, sweet cheeks."

I washed my hair quickly and as soon as I had a towel wrapped around myself, Rosalie and Alice barged in, sitting me down on the stool in front of the mirror. They both brushed my wet hair quickly before Rosalie took over. She put some mousse in my hair and started blow drying. My hair started curling under Rosalie's skilled hands. Then Alice started applying makeup for me. Foundation, bronzer, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, the works. I almost didn't recognize myself in the mirror when both of them were done.

Before I had the chance to saw, "Wow," Rosalie pulled me out of the bathroom. She gave me my bra, but handed me a thong that still had the tag on it.

I looked at her questioningly.

"I always keep a spare around," she explained. "Put it on."

I pulled the thong and bra on quickly.

Alice and Rosalie nodded their approval before Alice gave me a pair of Rosalie's super tight jeans and a tight green t-shirt. Their smiles were even more prominent after I pulled my shirt over my head.

"Here," Rosalie said, handing me a white Nixon belt. "This is my lucky belt."

I pulled it through the loops and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked...hot.

Alice put a necklace on for me. It looked Celtic.

"My dad's from Scotland," Alice explained. "He sends me stuff like this every Christmas. I think it looks gorgeous on you."

"Thank you both," I breathed.

They smiled at me and then put some bracelets on my right arm and complimented me on my mom's old engagement ring from Charlie and my daughter's pride ring. They handed me a pair of fake diamond studs to put in my ears.

"You guys must really want me to get laid tonight," I joked.

"You're damn right we do," Rosalie said with a grin.

"By Edward," I continued; the joke ending.

Alice smiled sympathetically. "You have no idea how much of an impact you've had on him, Bella. Ever since you two started getting along, he's been...happier. Even Carlisle noticed a huge difference."

I was suddenly unsure of myself. Was I leading Edward on, or was I actually interested in him? Honestly, I had grown closer with him since that day I watched him ref. We talked all the time, and not about stupid crap. We talked about serious stuff, like college and scouts and growing up.

Maybe I had been falling for Edward all along.

"Let's just get loaded," I suggested with a giddy smile. "I haven't touched alcohol since Johnson's party."

We went downstairs to drink with Rose's parents, who were incredibly cool. I decided to stick to beer for the night. I didn't want to get as drunk as I had last time.

Unfortunately or fortunately, I didn't know which it was; I was a cheap drunk, so by 10:30, I was nice and numb. Rose's dad, who only had one beer, drove us to the community hall, where the party was already in full swing.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a phone call from Edward.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Where are you?" Edward yelled into the phone. He must have been inside.

"I'm right outside the hall," I told him.

"Okay, good." And he hung up.

I started giggling as we walked towards the hall. When we got inside, we each paid our twelve dollars, and the security guard put bright pink wristbands on us.

When we entered the main room of the hall, I was shocked. It was _packed._ The dance floor was full of drunk, dancing bodies. The tables had kissing couples at them. Boys and girls were grinding on the speakers. If I had thought prom would be crazy, this was chaos.

"Is it always like this?" I asked Alice.

Alice nodded, her eyes shining with excitement. "Awesome, isn't it?"

"Fuck yeah," I replied.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around my waist. I put my hands on the arms and removed them from my body, turning around. It was Edward, of course.

"You ready to dance up a storm, pretty lady?" he murmured in my ear.

"Hell yeah!" I exclaimed, letting a smiling Edward take me on the floor.

_Tik Tok_ by Ke$ha was blaring. It was one of my favourite songs. My dancing, whether sober or drunk was anything but appealing. All I did was move my hips and arms. If I tried to move my feet, I'd fall.

Edward grabbed my arms out of the air and put them around his neck gently. He leaned closer, but I pulled away with a spin.

I started singing the lyrics to Edward, dancing circles around him as he smiled.

"Now the party don't start 'til I walk in!" I yelled in his ear. I started doing stuff that I would later regret. Jumping and trying to be sexy weren't things I was good at.

I continued to toy with Edward as the song went on. _Tik Tok_ ended and _Fire Burning_ came on. We continued dancing without touching each other. I wanted to see how far I could push him. Would he ditch me after a couple of songs or would he stay? I hoped for the latter. I hadn't realized how much I liked Edward until Alice mentioned it.

When Edward didn't leave, I knew that he actually liked me and didn't just want a one-night stand. _Bodies_ by Robbie Williams came on. Edward's large, warm hands grasped my hips and my arms were around his neck. Before the song was at the chorus, Edward leaned into kiss me cautiously. He pulled away for a second, looking me in the eyes, searching for rejection. I pulled him in again, immediately parting his lips with my tongue.

Edward smiled against my lips before resting his forehead against mine and letting our lips part.

"I've been waiting for this since September," he told me.

"Why didn't you tell me," I asked.

"I wanted you to come to me," he explained in my ear. "Are you happy right now?"

"Extremely. Are you happy?"

"I'm _ecstatic._ You drunk?"

"Extremely," I repeated with a giggle. "You?"

"Tipsy," he murmured against my lips.

The songs kept changing, but I hardly noticed. Edward and I would dance and then kiss and dance some more. Eventually all of our friends found out and come to congratulate us on _finally_ getting together.

"Can I dance with your girl once?" Jasper asked.

"Sure," Edward replied. "Just bring her back in one piece." He leaned into me. "I'm gunna go drunk outside for a while. Come have a beer after." Then he left the dance floor with some of the guys from the team.

A bunch of songs were played in a row. Jasper polkaed up a storm with me, pulling moves I hadn't ever seen before. Then the country streak was broken with _Rich Girl$,_ which neither of us liked, so we went outside to drink with Edward.

I checked my cell while I drank. It was only 12:30. We still had an hour and a half before the dance was shut down.

We stayed outside until one. By then, Edward was stumbling with me. I made him withhold from touching me inappropriately until we got past Charlie, who was working at the door. I pulled Edward onto the dance floor with me again while _Boy Meets Girl_ was playing. We didn't kiss right away. It was a song we both knew the lyrics to, so we sang and danced like, well, two drunken idiots.

And then _Party in the U.S.A._ came on. It was like the theme song for the hockey team this year. Edward found Ben Cheney, who was dancing with Angela Weber, and started singing with him. Soon, the whole team was together singing the damn Miley Cyrus song. If it weren't so hilarious, I would have been extremely embarrassed.

Rosalie, Alice, and I danced together in the meantime. Rose already had a hickey on her collarbone.

As soon as the song was over, the hockey team scattered, finding their women again. Edward put his arms around my wait. I told myself I would never grind ever in my life, and yet, here I was, grinding with a person I thought I would never end up with.

Edward soon got frustrated with the fact that it was extremely hard to make out in this position, so he turned me around and kissed me hard. We made out for a long time. My fingers stranded in his hair, one of his hands on my cheeks, and the other in the small of my back.

We finally pulled away to breathe after a song and a half passed.

"You wanna get outta here?" Edward asked breathlessly.

I nodded against his forehead feverishly.

Edward linked our heads and led us out of the hall and to Edward's truck. Alice and Rosalie were right.

Tonight was the night.

* * *

**Anyone else ever been to a teen dance? They were the coolest thing when I was younger. We don't have them very much anymore, though. They're very destructive, hah.**

**Only one final left! Ah! I'm so excited! (:**

**Love,  
Mary**


	9. Chapter 8

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt:** Willing  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

**Part two of the big moment. (: Enjoy.**

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**

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to leave with Edward. Maybe it wasn't smart to allow him to drink and drive. Then again, I never claimed to be smart.

Edward ripped out of the parking lot and onto the highway. I had no idea where we were going, but I didn't really care.

I reached into the back and grabbed two beer out of the case for Edward and I. We sang along to all of the songs that blared in the truck speakers as Edward continued down random back roads.

Finally, he pulled over and finished his beer. I took my last gulp and threw my bottle out the window before moving over to the middle seat and lacing my fingers in his tousled hair. I smirked before I let our lips meet. Edward's hands covered my hips, pulling me into his lap. I adjusted myself so I was straddling him in the driver's seat.

Music continued playing in the background while we made out for God only knows how long. My head was spinning from the alcohol and the lack of oxygen. One of Edward's hands left my body to lean the seat back with a jolt. We both laughed in between kisses before it was too much for me to handle. I laid my forehead against his collarbone and giggled uncontrollably. I could feel Edward's chest vibrating with laughter as his hands swept over my back.

I looked up at Edward through my lashes, my laughter still caught in my throat. The truck was spinning around us as my hands glided down his front and under his t-shirt. His breathing hitched as my icy fingers lapped greedily over his muscular abdomen. His hands moved slowly down my back and under my shirt. I sat up and pulled the tight green shirt over my head. Edward's eyes darkened as they raked over my mostly naked torso.

Our lips met in the middle, connecting briefly and frequently as I pushed Edward's shirt up over his skin. We broke apart when he removed his shirt altogether. My flats slipped off my feet as Edward undid my belt and then the button and zipper of my jeans, pushing his hands down the back of my jeans to feel my bare ass. He groaned against my lips and I felt him harden against my inner thigh. Clearly I was doing something right.

In a rush, we abandoned our jeans and threw them onto the passenger's seat. Edward's hands were cupping my ass while we made out now. My hips moved on their own accord, requiring some kind of friction.

I'd never felt so needy in this kind of situation. With Sam, it was more of a chore. With Edward, it was like if I didn't get thoroughly fucked soon, I'd spontaneously combust. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Edward's hands left my ass to unclasp my bra. I got rid of the piece of clothing and pressed my body against his, still a little embarrassed to be revealing my body.

Edward didn't seem to notice. He continued removing our remaining clothing. He got rid of my thong quickly by accidentally tugging too hard.

"Fuck," he cursed, holding up the underwear. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Rose," I murmured against his lips.

"Hell no," he breathed before kissing me and pulling away. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

I nodded and Edward opened the centre console to get a condom. We both got rid of the last barrier and Edward quickly rolled on the condom. I lifted my hips and Edward guided me onto him. It was a slow, slightly uncomfortable process. I hadn't had sex in six months and Edward felt quite a bit bigger than Sam.

When I was fully seated, Edward gripped my hips tightly. It probably wasn't very comfortable for him either.

"You're so fucking tight," he gasped. "You're not a virgin, are you?"

I shook my head with my eyes closed before biting my lip and moving slightly.

"Fuck," Edward hissed, his grip tightening.

I sat up so that only the tip was still in before sliding slowly back down. I adjusted quickly to his size, the pleasure hitting me like a wrecking ball.

We both started panting as my pace quickened slightly. The friction was too much. I was already on edge. Edward's hips started lifting off the seat, hitting a spot so deep within me, I hadn't realized it existed.

Hitting that spot twice in a row was too much for me. The coil in the pit of my stomach released and my orgasm hit me hard and fast. Edward's hips thrusted a couple more times while I clamped around him before he grunted and came.

I lifted myself off his now limp dick and moved over to the passenger's seat, trying to catch my breath. Edward handed me my clothes and began putting his on. I hadn't realized how cold the vehicle was until we stopped touching each other.

After we were both dressed and had our breath back, Edward leaned over and kissed me. It was a sweet kiss, not one overpowered with lust.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed.

My cheeks warmed. "Thank you."

He smiled and kissed me once more before starting the truck and taking us home.

The next day, I woke up with a headache and achy bones and muscles. I didn't really remember what time I got home at. Shit, I didn't even remember _how_ I got home. I looked at my alarm clock. It was already two in the afternoon. I grabbed the water I must have put on my night table before I went to bed and chugged it before standing up and stumbling to the bathroom to brush my fuzzy teeth. I hopped in the shower immediately after, feeling a million times better as the hot water fell on my bare skin.

My memory became less foggy as I sobered up.

"Fuck," I groaned. I remembered making out with Edward on the dance floor practically all night. "Shit, shit, shit." Things were just starting to get okay between us. We were starting to act like friends instead of enemies. Now things were going to be awkward. How could I go and wreck the dynamics of our group like that?

I leaned my head against the wall and tried to remember what else happened. I polkaed with Jasper. I drank with the hockey team. And then I...left with Edward in the Panty Dropper and then we...

Mother of mayhem. I fucked Edward Cullen, simultaneously fucking my life. Not that Edward wasn't good looking or, from what I could remember, a great lay, but honestly. How could I be so stupid?

Would I be considered the new puck? Was I Edward's newest conquest? Would I be the new rumour around town?

I knew better than anyone else that you didn't bang a hockey player unless you were dating him. When a guy hangs out with twenty other equally horny assholes, there's bound to be bragging rights. Was I on some kind of list? Would Edward get some kind of prize for nailing me first? I was absolutely sick to my stomach.

Unfortunately, I couldn't remember details. I remembered pulling over and getting down to business before having the best orgasm of my life. By that time, I was probably so drunk from the adrenaline and alcohol combined that I was blind.

Soon enough, more than just the water from the shower was running down my cheeks. I felt disgusting, like no amount of showering would ever make me clean again. I would be a disgrace to Charlie. I wouldn't even be able to look at him in the face today.

With a sniffle, I shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. I scrubbed my head clean with a towel and then wrapped it around my torso and padded back to my room, closing the door behind me.

I made myself stop crying before I got dressed. I pulled on some gym shorts and an old t-shirt of Charlie's. I crawled back into bed and fell asleep immediately.

There was a knock at my door. I looked at my clock. It was 4:30.

"Who is it?" I asked in a small voice.

"It's your dad."

"Come in," I told him.

Charlie entered the room with a smile. "So, you're still feeling a little rough from last night?"

I nodded with a sigh. "I'm mostly just tired."

"You didn't get home until after four, so that might be why."

I tried to act like I knew I didn't get home until four in the freaking morning, but I'm sure Charlie saw through me.

"Edward phoned," Charlie said. "He sounded kind of frantic. You should call him back."

"I'll text him," I mumbled, my voice cracking with emotion.

"Okay," Charlie sighed "I'm making some KD for supper if you want to come down to eat."

"Maybe."

Charlie closed the door behind him. I grabbed my phone off the charger. I had two missed calls and three texts from Edward since noon. I dismissed the calls and looked at the texts.

"Bella, we need 2 talk."

"Plz answer me."

"Plz, bella. I need 2 talk 2 u."

"What do u want?" I asked him.

His answer was immediate. "Can i call u?"

"Sure."

_In My Head_ by Jason Derulo started playing.

"Hello?" I answered in a tired voice.

"Bella," Edward breathed. "We need to talk."

"Obviously."

"Can I come over?"

"I guess so," I replied.

"Alright, I'll be over in five."

I hung up my phone and pulled the covers over my head. Soon enough, Edward was walking up the stairs and knocking on my door.

"Come in," I groaned, my face still under the covers. I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep my emotions under control.

"Hi, Bella," Edward greeted awkwardly.

"Hi," I answered.

"Can you look at me please?" Edward requested.

I flipped the covers off of my face and searched for Edward. He hadn't even taken a step into my room. He wasn't his usual self. The last time he'd been in my room, he crawled into bed with me.

"You better close the door," I told him.

Edward only stepped far enough inside to close the door.

"Sit down," I commanded, pointing at the rocking chair in the corner of my room.

Edward sat down.

"Bella, I just wanted to apologize for last night," Edward blurted. "I don't usually do stuff like that."

"You and me both," I muttered. "So does everyone know already?"

Edward scowled at me. "What do you mean?"

"Did you brag about your latest conquest to the team?" I asked, my voice completely emotionless.

He was still scowling. "You weren't a _conquest_, Bella. No one knows what happened last night except for you and me, although I'm sure people assumed the right thing." He paused. "I _really_ like you, Bella."

"Edward, how could you possibly like _me?_" I asked him exasperatedly. "We hated each other up until a month ago."

"Bella, I never hated you," Edward disagreed. "That's my way of showing girls I like them, I guess. I've liked you since that first tryout night."

I was choked. This was that rare, beautiful side of Edward that I could easily fall in love with.

Edward got up and sat on my bed and grasped my hands, forcing me to look into his eyes. "Listen, last night was one of the best nights of my life, but not because we had sex. You finally let me in, Bella. You can't deny the fact that you've been attached to me since the beginning either."

"What does this mean?" I whispered.

"Do you want to be together for now?" Edward asked earnestly. "We can try it out for a while, see if we could handle dating each other or not."

I nodded, biting my lip so the tears wouldn't fall over.

Edward hugged me tightly. If Edward acted like this more often, I could see us being together for a very long time.

* * *

**Aw, how sweet.**

**Love,  
Mary**


	10. Chapter 9

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Vibrant  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

* * *

Edward and I hung out for a while at the house after we decided what was going to happen. Charlie mysteriously disappeared after Edward and I told him what was going on. I guess he wanted us to have some time to ourselves.

We watched TSN and found out what happened to Edward's favourite team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was a fan of Crosby, too. He even admitted that he almost cried when Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup last year.

Around 5:30, Edward said that he should probably head home. He still had to work out and do some homework. But he didn't leave without a brief make out session.

"Even better than I remembered," he murmured with a grin. He stood up. "I'll pick you up for school tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded as I watched my new almost-boyfriend walk backwards out of the room with a huge smile on his face.

People obviously started talking when we showed up at school together. I didn't really care, though. As long as I was walking with Edward beside me, people could assume all they wanted.

We tried to not make it a big deal, but before first period was over, the rumours were flying. We were dating, we were banging, we were long-lost cousins, etcetera. Small towns were a million times worse than cities for shit like this.

"Don't worry about it," Edward told me as we got our lunches in the cafeteria. "They're all just jealous."

"Jealous of what?"

"Jealous that you're with me instead of them."

I rolled my eyes. "Most of the time, girls are the gossips. They're probably mad at _me_ for nabbing you."

Edward shrugged. "Details. Either way, it doesn't matter."

We continued the week without caring. Alice, Rose, Emmett, and Jasper didn't even know what was really going on between us. Hell, _we_ were still trying to figure it out.

Emmett was hosting his seventeenth birthday that weekend. You would never guess it by looking at him, but he was actually the youngest guy in twelfth grade.

Instead of letting Rose and Ali haul me away before I could talk to the boys after they beat the Olympian Mustangs, I told them I was hanging out with Edward before I went to the party. They both gave me approving smiles and then urged me to dress up a little.

"For..._Emmett,_" Rosalie said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, okay. I get it."

My two friends left the rink, quietly laughing.

Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind and picked me up, squeezing me tightly. When I got set back down, I turned around and exclaimed, "Happy birthday, M 'n' M!"

"Thank you!" Emmett replied with a giant smile. "You ready to get crazy?"

"Of course," I said with a grin.

"Did Rose leave?" Emmett asked, looking over my shoulder.

"Yeah, she went to get all dressed up for you." I winked. "Someone's getting lucky tonight."

"I hope so," Emmett answered with a smile. "Why don't you sit down and wait for everyone else? I'm gunna go grab a burger."

Before I could sit down, Jasper started tickling me.

"Stop it!" I cried. "Tap out! Tap out!"

Jasper chuckled and let go of me. "I win."

We both sat down at the picnic table.

"Good game," I said. "Seven to zero. That's impressive."

Jasper shrugged, trying to contain the smug grin that was twitching at the corners of his lips. "It was alright, I guess."

Emmett sat down and handed one of three burgers to Jasper.

"Where's Edward?" Emmett asked with a full mouth.

"He was whipping Mike with a towel because–" Jasper cut himself off. "Uh, because Mike's a douche," he finished lamely.

"Mike said something about me, didn't he?" I asked with a sigh.

Jasper nodded, avoiding my gaze.

"What did he say, Jasper?"

Jasper wouldn't answer me.

"C'mon, Jasper," Emmett pleaded. "I wanna know, too."

"Hecalledheratease," Jasper blurted.

"He what?" Emmett asked.

"Called me a tease," I muttered. I shrugged before saying, "It's sort of true. I use Mike for shit all the time.

Jasper smiled half-heartedly. "Don't listen to him, darl. He's just mad 'cause Edward got to you before he did. Mike's got it in his head that you want him."

I shrugged again. "It really doesn't matter."

Edward came up the stairs, looking absolutely ridiculously handsome in his suit. Charlie forced the boys to dress up for games. God, was I ever thankful for that.

"Hey," Edward greeted as he sat down beside me, grabbing the left over burger.

"Good game," I murmured, avoiding his eyes.

"Thanks," he grunted, his mouth full. He swallowed before asking, "We still gunna hang out tonight?"

I nodded.

Emmett and Jasper filled the conversation with talk of who Jasper could get with. I wanted to say Alice, but I didn't think Edward would appreciate that very much. Alice had a huge crush on Jasper. Jasper didn't seem to notice, though.

When Edward finished his burger, he stood up. I followed him, telling Emmett and Jasper I would see them later as Edward intertwined our fingers and led me outside.

"I heard what Mike said about me in the locker room," I told him while we walked to his truck.

Edward's lips were a thin line.

"Edward, I've been using Mike since I moved to Forks," I continued. "To him, I kind of have been a tease."

"But he doesn't need to say shit like that," Edward snapped. "Everyone knows we're hanging out, Bella. He's just saying it to piss me off."

"Do you guys always talk about me?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing.

Edward shrugged.

"I'll take that as a yes," I said under my breath.

We went up to my room when we got home.

"What should I wear?" I wondered aloud as I looked through my closet.

"Why does it matter what you wear?" Edward asked as he lounged on my bed.

"Rose told me to look nice for...Emmett." I almost slipped up and said "you."

"I'm sure Emmett doesn't give a shit," Edward replied in a bored voice.

I pulled out a pair of jeans and a pink shirt that read, "I heart boobies." Renee had bought me it during the Breast Cancer Awareness Week in Phoenix. I knew Emmett would love it.

Edward whistled when I removed my black, long-sleeved shirt and put on the pink t-shirt.

"Maybe we should hang out before parties all the time," he said.

I got rid of my yoga pants with a smile and quickly pulled on my jeans before getting into bed with Edward.

"You're such a perv," I told him.

Edward wrapped an arm around me. "A perv would like to see any girl change. I just want to see you change."

I giggled before running my fingers through his unruly hair. "Thanks, I think."

Edward smiled against my ribs before placing his chin on my stomach and asking, "So should we start dating or what?"

My hand froze on his head. "Um... Alright?"

Edward smiled and laid his head back down on my stomach. "Okay. Cool."

I smiled briefly. That was one of the last ways I thought I'd be asked to be someone's girlfriend, but it was so Edward. Nonchalant and to the point. I liked it.

My phone started ringing. It was Alice.

"Hey, Alice," I greeted. "What's up?"

"You need to get your ass over to Emmett's," she told me. "We're all bored without you two."

I laughed. "Okay. We're leaving now."

"'Kay good."

I hung up the phone and announced, "We're needed at Emmett's party."

Edward groaned. "Do we have to go? I'm tired."

"Oh, you poor baby," I crooned sarcastically. "Come on. Get on up."

He sighed and hopped out of my bed, pulling me up with him.

The yard was packed at McCarty's farm. How could they be bored? Edward parked in the driveway and we walked into the house hand-in-hand.

We walked in the front door, stepping on shoes no matter where we placed our feet. I slipped off my runners and Edward grabbed them and put them on top of the freezer near the door.

Emmett's house was tiny. He had two older brothers, so it was just him and his parents now. Our crew was sitting at the kitchen table, playing quarters.

When we finally pushed our way through the crowd, I gave Emmett a hug and wished him a happy birthday for the second time that night. There was only one free chair, so I sat on Edward's knee.

Emmett handed me a beer. Edward declined Emmett's offer. He was being responsible that night, I guess.

"So are you guys dating or what?" Emmett asked.

I choked a little on my drink and turned bright red. Edward rubbed my back and said, "Yeah, I just asked her tonight."

Emmett high-fived Edward. "Nice, dude." Emmett looked at me. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, you owe me something."

"What are you talking about?" I asked him.

"You said that the day you got with Edward would be the same day you found out you had a lesbian crush on Rose," Emmett said smugly. "You don't have to have sex or anything. Just kiss her. On the lips. Tongue optional."

"You're seriously going to make me do this?" I couldn't believe the bastard remembered. "But she's your girlfriend!"

"I'm not asking you to make my girlfriend turn lesbian," Emmett replied. "I just wanna see you guys kiss."

I looked at Rose for help, but she just shrugged with a smile.

"Sorry, Bella," she apologized. "You did say that."

"Just get it over with," Edward whispered against my neck. "Then we can make out after that."

I took a deep breath and walked over to Rose and kissed her chastely on her smiling lips. Emmett started cheering and everyone that had gathered around either started gasping in shock or cheering with Emmett.

When I sat back down on Edward's knee, I caught his lips with my own and made out with him passionately in front of everyone at the party. Edward's hands held my cheeks and I tangled my fingers in his messy hair. There were more cheers coming from the small crowd that had formed.

I finally pulled away with a smile. Edward grinned and kissed me on the lips briefly before looking out at our friends and giving everyone the thumbs up.

Finally realizing what I just did, I blushed and buried my face into Edward's neck.

The night continued with drinking games and stories about Emmett from when he was younger and stupider. Emmett's parents even told some stories about Emmett and his brothers, Demetri and Felix. Apparently they had Emmett convinced he was actually raised by wolves, like Mowgoli off of The Jungle Book, and he got dropped off on the front steps when he was two.

Alice, Rosalie, and Jasper were all spending the night at Emmett's, as well as a few other guys from the team. Edward finally decided it was time for us to leave at four A.M.

"You wanna stay at my place?" Edward asked as he helped me put my shoes on. I hadn't realized how drunk I was until I stood up.

"Please," I murmured.

I passed out for the entire ride home. Being drunk and tired didn't work well for me. Edward carried me to his room and took my socks and jeans off for me.

"More comfortable now?" he asked after he removed his jeans and t-shirt and crawled in bed with me.

"Mhm," I hummed, snuggling into him. I shoved my icy toes under his legs, making Edward flinch.

"Jesus, your toes are freezing," Edward muttered.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

We fell asleep soon after that. It was the first time I'd ever cuddled with a boy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But that might just have been the beer talking.

* * *

**I think I like this chapter. But I'm not sure. **

**New semester! Easier semester. I'm taking English, Math, History, Physics, Calculus, Videography, and Phys. Ed. Last semester was so brutal. I'm stoked for this one. (:**

**Love,  
Mary **


	11. Chapter 10

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Patience  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

**This is super short. Please don't be mad.**

**

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**

Edward dropped me off the next day at noon. We slept in until ten and then just hung out in bed for a while after that. Thankfully no one was at the house when we left. Carlisle was at work. Esme went to shop in Port Angeles, and Alice was still at Emmett's.

I didn't expect Charlie to be home. He usually worked on Sundays to make up for lost time during hockey season. That day, however, Charlie was waiting for me on the porch.

"Oh, uh, hey, Dad," I greeted as I took off my shoes and jacket. "What're you doing at home?"

"Lunch break," Charlie said. "Where were you?"

"It was Emmett's birthday party last night and I just stayed over at Alice's," I explained. I started walking towards the stairs. "I'm gunna go have a shower."

"Wait just a sec, Bella Marie Swan." I turned around, the guilt written all over my face. "I've heard a few things from the boys that I want to run by you."

"Oh?" I squeaked.

Charlie's eyes narrowed. "Are you dating Edward Cullen?"

"Um, well, yeah," I stuttered. "We just started dating yesterday."

"Are you two being…safe?" Charlie looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Dad!" I exclaimed, my cheeks burning. "We don't need to have this conversation. I'm seventeen. Mom covered all of that stuff a while ago."

"Just making sure," Charlie mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know, I really like Edward, but he's still a teenage boy, Bells."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what goes on in locker rooms, Bella," Charlie continued. "You've heard enough stories from me. Even the guys with girlfriends talk shit in the locker room."

"That kind of talk doesn't really mean anything though, Dad," I said. "It's just some joking around."

"Just be careful, Bells," Charlie murmured. "And from now on, you'll be telling me where you're staying."

"Okay," I sighed.

Soon enough, everyone knew that Edward and I were dating, but things didn't change that much. Edward started picking me up for school and we hung out by ourselves after school. We argued sometimes, but that was bound to happen. We still had our differences.

Edward became my best friend. When we were alone, he was the sweetest guy in the world, but as soon as we were around the hockey team, he turned back into the cocky kid I met in September. I wished everyone could see the side of Edward I got to see.

Soon, Christmas rolled around, and the boys finally got a break from hockey. It was the hardest I'd ever partied in my life. Every night from the 19th to the 23rd included excessive drinking. Sometimes I didn't even have time to be hungover. Edward would crack open a beer at ten in the morning if it meant avoiding the hangover.

We decided to not buy each other Christmas presents this year. It would save a lot of hassle and potential tension. And I was already kind of broke, too.

Charlie and I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas alone. I bought him some new hockey gloves and a helmet, and he got me a Nixon watch and a pair of hockey skates.

"Edward was complaining about you not being able to skate," Charlie said when I asked about the skates. "He wants to re-teach you."

Alice, Rosalie, and I took a trip to Vancouver on Boxing Day for all the sales. They made me buy clothes that they approved of and some new lingerie.

Edward and I hadn't had sex since the teen dance. I didn't know whether it was because he didn't want to push me or because I just partied too hard and ended up passing out before anything could happen.

The next days included more drinking. New Years was spent at Rosalie's. Her parents went to the Dominican after Christmas. I ended up spooning Jasper and getting spooned by Edward in the spare bedroom. Alice slept at our feet like a cat. God only knows what Rose's younger brother, Connor, thought when he walked into the room at noon the next day.

School and hockey continued on the fourth. Life got back on track. Everything was normal. It felt almost too good to be true. Life was good.

* * *

**Spoonfests just aren't my bag, but lots of my friends love them. My guy friends are so weird. Most of us are related, and all the guys have this big gay, incest spoonfest whenever we spend the night at someone's house. Funny, but very weird.**

**Love,  
Mary**


	12. Chapter 11

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Red  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

**Some shit gets stirred in this chapter.**

**

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**

The second weekend in January was our first game against La Push, a team that the Kings had a rivalry with. La Push was the closest team to us, so sometimes we saw the Wolves at the same parties. Someone always ended up in a fight.

Billy Black was their coach. Charlie had a huge rivalry with him as well. They both played on the U.S.A. Junior Team together, but Billy got drafted to Vancouver instead of Montreal. Everyone said that Billy was the better player than Charlie. Billy got to play in the NHL longer than Charlie did. Billy got way more publicity when he became paralyzed after he went head-first into the boards.

Even though Charlie hated Billy, they always went out for a couple of drinks after they played each other. Charlie drove the cruiser and I drove the F-150. I was the designated driver for tonight anyway.

The first period was pretty clean. La Push's captain, Jacob Black, and Edward were beaking each other, slashing each other. Both of them got the penalties they deserved. I knew by the end of the game that it was going to escalate. Hopefully Charlie would figure it out and switch up the line a little so Edward wouldn't get in a fight. Jacob was taller and more muscular than Edward. I didn't want him to get hurt.

Edward put the first goal on the scoreboard in the last three minutes of the period. He made sure to cheer right in Jacob's face after, too. Thankfully the ref and the linesmen were there to hold Jacob back.

The second period started, and La Push was pushing much harder than they had before. Jasper was having a hell of time, even with Emmett taking down the Wolves left, right, and centre.

Ben Cheney finally nagged the puck and got a breakaway, pushing the puck into the top right corner.

By this time, the Wolves were absolutely furious. They pushed even harder, keeping the puck down at our end. Jacob Black finally found a hole in the net and cored La Push's first goal. But, while he scored the goal, he ended up deep in the crease, which pissed all of our boys off, including Edward. Edward pushed Jacob out of the crease and Jake pushed back. Edward and Jacob tried taking each other's helmets off. The refs waited for them to fall onto the ice.

Edward managed to get Jacob's helmet off first and then he started throwing punches. Esme and I tensed while the rest of the crowd cheered.

Jacob picked Edward up and laid him on the ice. That's when the ref and linesmen jumped in and pulled them apart. Edward stood up quickly and started going after Jacob again, who was telling Edward to bring it on.

The ref got them to leave the ice finally and the rest of the boys picked up the gloves, helmet, and sticks. They each got a game misconduct. Thankfully the fight didn't happen in the third period. Then Charlie really would have been pissed at Edward.

Jacob was changed by the end of the second period. He went to sit with the La Push fans. Edward still hadn't come out.

When I went to grab a hot chocolate from the booth, Jacob cornered me. I hadn't talked to him in four years.

"Hey, babe," he greeted as he leaned against the counter beside me. "How've you been lately?"

"Good," I said with a brief smile.

"I hear you're dating the Cullen kid."

I nodded.

"He's a douche bag," Jacob muttered. "How could you be with someone like him?"

"As opposed to who? You, Jake?" I snapped. "Get over yourself."

He grinned cockily. "Babe, we both know that I'm the better hockey player." He leaned in. "And I'm probably better in bed. I heard he's got a small dick." He chuckled.

"Actually, his _dick_ is bigger than yours, Jacob," I seethed. "Bye." I stormed out to the bleachers to watch the rest of the game, leaving Jacob speechless.

The third period began with James finding the net, making the score three to one for us.

Edward came out soon after, showered and dressed in his black suit. He didn't even glance at me. He sat down at the bottom of the bleachers beside Rose's little brother.

From what I saw, Edward's knuckles were a little cut up, probably from him ripping at Jacob's cage.

"Is he always like this after a fight?" I asked Esme quietly.

Esme pursed her lips. "The Black kid must have said something to get Edward really riled up, because usually he'd be bragging about how much of a pussy the poor kid is." Esme shook her head. "I've only seen him like this once, and it was when a boy at school started spreading rumours about Alice."

I nodded and continued watching the game. Hopefully I could get Edward to talk to me after the game was done. I just hoped Jacob didn't say anything too serious. Hopefully it was something that could be left on the ice.

We won the game, but only by one point. La Push would be our biggest competition obviously. Edward went into the change room with the rest of the team while I waited in the lobby for him, Jasper, and Emmett.

Rosalie huffed as we waited. "I wish they'd hurry up."

I was biting my lip nervously. Edward had seemed completely out of it after he got kicked out.

Edward came up the stairs, clearly still brooding. He walked right by our table without even glancing at me. My cheeks burned with mortification. Why was he being such a dick?

"Don't worry about it, Bella," Alice assured me. "He'll come around eventually. He's just a moody asshole sometimes.

I knew that Edward wasn't perfect. I didn't expect him to be. It just felt like he was pushing me away. We were more than boyfriend and girlfriend, we were best friends. I never held any information back. So why was he doing this to me tonight?

Emmett and Jasper came to sit down with us.

"Edward's going to Mike's with James apparently," Emmett told me grimly. "Jasper and I decided we'd better tag along just in case they try anything stupid.

"Thanks," I mumbled. "Do you know what the hell's going on?"

Emmett shrugged. "I've never seen Edward this mad before. I couldn't really hear what Black was saying to him either."

I looked at Jasper and he shook his head. I sighed.

"Well, if you find out, let me know," I said as I stood. "We might as well head out. I don't want to make Edward avoid you guys because I'm here."

Rosalie and Alice drove around Forks with me, the music blaring. Rose and Ali drank while I thought about the game. It was already 10:30 by the time Rose and Alice decided they wanted to go to Mike's. We pulled into the driveway and entered the house. Everyone was there except for Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and James.

Rose and Alice wandered off while I found a spot on the couch. I pulled out my phone to see if I had any texts. Nothing. I considered texting Edward, but I had nothing to say to him. If he wanted to talk, he would. And if he didn't start talking soon, I'd be pissed off.

I talked to random people throughout the night. I became better acquainted with Garrett, who sat beside me for a long time. He was a funny guy and he managed to cheer me up briefly.

Finally, at around midnight, the boys walked in the door. I could tell from the moment he entered the house that he was absolutely shit-faced.

All the girls started throwing themselves at him. Usually, this didn't bother me. Usually, I trusted Edward. Tonight, it infuriated me when he wrapped an arm around Tanya and let her kiss his cheek.

Emmett, who was surprisingly completely sober, said a quick hello to Rose before coming over to me.

"He's drunk," he told me as he sat down. "Like, drunker than I've ever seen him."

"Yeah," I sighed.

"He wouldn't talk," Emmett continued. "Whenever I asked about it, he'd brush it off, crush another beer. And when I mentioned you, he just shrugged. Something fucky's going on with him, Bella."

My eyes burned with potential tears. Maybe I had psyched myself out when I filled out the application for university in Calgary. Would this be the end?

"Thanks, Emmett," I murmured with a sad smile. "You're a good friend."

He gave me a hug and patted my back. "Don't give up on the poor guy just yet, Bella. Guys are idiots sometimes. I ought to know."

I laughed a little as I leaned back against the couch. Mike started talking to Emmett and I continued watching Edward. He was re-enacting the fight for all the rookies and the swarm of girls that seemed to be following him.

He noticed me watching and smiled and waved and then continued talking. Normally, I would care if that was the only interaction we had all night. That night was different though. We hadn't talked at all. He was being a prick and he probably knew it, too. A smile and a wave was not okay.

I made sure that Ali and Rose could get rides home and said goodnight to almost everyone.

"Aw, Bella," Jasper whined when I said goodbye. "Don't let Edward put you in a bad mood."

"I'm just tired," I assured him. It was a complete lie, of course. "Charlie thinks I need to slow down a little, anyway."

"This party'll be boring without you," Jasper tried to convince me.

I leaned in and whispered, "Maybe you should consider Alice."

Jasper looked completely bewildered.

"She likes you, Jaz," I breathed in his ear. "A lot. She hasn't hooked up with anyone since just before Edward and I started dating. The last time she kissed someone was at the dance."

"Well, I'll be damned," Jasper said.

"Go get her, cowboy," I told him with a grin before walking towards the door.

"Where's she going?" I heard Edward ask Emmett.

"Home."

"_Why?_"

"Are you fucking stupid?" Emmett asked him. "You haven't talked to her all night, asshat. She thinks you're gunna breakup with her."

A tear slipped down my cheek as I mashed my lips together and left the house as quickly as I could. I slammed the door behind me and held my breath as I tried to keep myself from crying. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

As I was about to unlock the truck, the door opened.

"Wait, Bella!" Edward yelled.

* * *

**This is exactly like my best friend, David. The hockey part, at least. He gets so worked up and emotionally involved in the game. It's ridiculous. And then I get all worked up because he's getting pushed around and pushing other guys around. **

**On February 7****th****, I watched one of Dave's games. He actually laughed right in a guy's face when the poor guy tried to get him worked up. Just laughed. So hard that you could hear it echoing throughout the whole rink. And then the guy skated away, obviously embarrassed, and David's like, "Aw, c'mon! Come back and get some you pussy!" CLASSIC.**

**Also, Garrett is based on a guy that my younger sister parties with. His name in real life is Scott. Funny kid. He gave my sister a lap dance at a hockey party. It was only funny until he started straddling here. Then I had to be a cock block. Sorry, Scott.**

**Love,  
Mary**


	13. Chapter 12

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Bitter  
**Pen **name**:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

**Shorter chapter again. Sorry.**

**

* * *

  
**

The tears were trapezing on my eyelashes as I waited for Edward to catch up with me. He stumbled across the deck, slipped on the stairs, and ran over to me.

"Don't go home," he pleaded breathlessly.

I wiped away the tears and rolled my eyes. "I do what I want, Edward."

He grabbed my wrist, but I shook him off. "C'mon, babe. Don't be like this."

"Like what?" I cried. "I'm going home. Big fucking deal."

"Bella, c'mon," he begged, trying to grab me again.

"I'm not talking to you," I told him as I turned around.

Edward let out a frustrated exhale. "What did I _do?_"

"You won't talk to me!" I exploded. "You haven't even looked at me since you got in that fight."

"Oh. That," Edward scoffed. "You should know why I'm pissed, Bella."

"I'm not a God damn mind reader," I reminded him. "Enlighten me."

"That Black kid was talking about you," Edward said, his temper flaring. "He found out that we're dating and he told me all about your little fling from back in the day."

Mortification slapped me in the face. I had forgotten all about my little rebellious stage. I had come down to spend the summer with Charlie when I was fourteen, but he was doing hockey stuff, as usual. I wanted to grab his attention, so I started hanging out in La Push to piss him off. I ended up losing my virginity to Jacob in the process. I experimented with drugs a couple of times. But after Charlie found out, I quit everything cold turkey. Jacob kept trying to get me to hang out with him until Charlie threatened to get a restraining order.

"What did he tell you?" I asked quietly.

"He told me all the things you liked having done to you." Edward looked disgusted. "He said that you were practically a legend in La Push."

"Edward–" I began.

"No, Bella," he cut me off. "Don't try to tell me anything." He chuckled to himself, that cocky half-grin plastered on his face. "Fuck. I could have any girl I want and I ended up picking you."

"What the fuck is that supposed to me?" I cried.

"I mean, I could have a _nice_ girl," Edward said as he tried to stand up straight. "I could have a girl that worshipped the ground I walked on. But I picked you because I thought that maybe you'd be different. I thought maybe, since you think you're so perfect, that you'd be a good girl to date. But you're just like the rest of them."

"So I have an unappealing past. Key word being past. What does that have to do with who I am today?" I asked. "If you wanted a _nice,_ submissive girl, you wouldn't have taken a second glance at me, because I'm neither of those things. I am who I am, Edward, and I thought that was what you were attracted to."

"I liked you a lot while the chase was on," Edward admitted, "but I'm second-guessing my judgement now."

"Fuck you," I snarled. "This is _exactly_ why I didn't even look at you until the alcohol was fogging my judgement. You have got to be the biggest prick I know."

"Yeah, well, I'm drunk right now and you still look like a slut to me!" Edward yelled.

I was so angry I couldn't even produce tears. They were evaporating because of the heat in my face.

"You are a cocky asshole," I told him as calmly as I could, "and you always have been. Why don't you go find Lauren and Jessica again? Why don't you go find a hotter whore than me? I'm sure you're going to feel _wonderful_ when you find out that you knocked some stupid bitch up or you get fucking herpes."

"Maybe I will," Edward replied. "Because getting an STI would be way better than being stuck with a lying bitch like you."

I slapped him as hard as I could before I hopped in Charlie's truck and ripped out of Mike's yard.

* * *

**Hah, my writing for this (I handwrite all of this before I type it) is super aggressive. You could tell I was pissed off at Edward for being such a douche.**

**Love,  
Mary**


	14. Chapter 13

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Bitter  
**Pen **name**:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

**Shorter chapter again. Sorry.**

**

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**

The tears were trapezing on my eyelashes as I waited for Edward to catch up with me. He stumbled across the deck, slipped on the stairs, and ran over to me.

"Don't go home," he pleaded breathlessly.

I wiped away the tears and rolled my eyes. "I do what I want, Edward."

He grabbed my wrist, but I shook him off. "C'mon, babe. Don't be like this."

"Like what?" I cried. "I'm going home. Big fucking deal."

"Bella, c'mon," he begged, trying to grab me again.

"I'm not talking to you," I told him as I turned around.

Edward let out a frustrated exhale. "What did I _do?_"

"You won't talk to me!" I exploded. "You haven't even looked at me since you got in that fight."

"Oh. That," Edward scoffed. "You should know why I'm pissed, Bella."

"I'm not a God damn mind reader," I reminded him. "Enlighten me."

"That Black kid was talking about you," Edward said, his temper flaring. "He found out that we're dating and he told me all about your little fling from back in the day."

Mortification slapped me in the face. I had forgotten all about my little rebellious stage. I had come down to spend the summer with Charlie when I was fourteen, but he was doing hockey stuff, as usual. I wanted to grab his attention, so I started hanging out in La Push to piss him off. I ended up losing my virginity to Jacob in the process. I experimented with drugs a couple of times. But after Charlie found out, I quit everything cold turkey. Jacob kept trying to get me to hang out with him until Charlie threatened to get a restraining order.

"What did he tell you?" I asked quietly.

"He told me all the things you liked having done to you." Edward looked disgusted. "He said that you were practically a legend in La Push."

"Edward–" I began.

"No, Bella," he cut me off. "Don't try to tell me anything." He chuckled to himself, that cocky half-grin plastered on his face. "Fuck. I could have any girl I want and I ended up picking you."

"What the fuck is that supposed to me?" I cried.

"I mean, I could have a _nice_ girl," Edward said as he tried to stand up straight. "I could have a girl that worshipped the ground I walked on. But I picked you because I thought that maybe you'd be different. I thought maybe, since you think you're so perfect, that you'd be a good girl to date. But you're just like the rest of them."

"So I have an unappealing past. Key word being past. What does that have to do with who I am today?" I asked. "If you wanted a _nice,_ submissive girl, you wouldn't have taken a second glance at me, because I'm neither of those things. I am who I am, Edward, and I thought that was what you were attracted to."

"I liked you a lot while the chase was on," Edward admitted, "but I'm second-guessing my judgement now."

"Fuck you," I snarled. "This is _exactly_ why I didn't even look at you until the alcohol was fogging my judgement. You have got to be the biggest prick I know."

"Yeah, well, I'm drunk right now and you still look like a slut to me!" Edward yelled.

I was so angry I couldn't even produce tears. They were evaporating because of the heat in my face.

"You are a cocky asshole," I told him as calmly as I could, "and you always have been. Why don't you go find Lauren and Jessica again? Why don't you go find a hotter whore than me? I'm sure you're going to feel _wonderful_ when you find out that you knocked some stupid bitch up or you get fucking herpes."

"Maybe I will," Edward replied. "Because getting an STI would be way better than being stuck with a lying bitch like you."

I slapped him as hard as I could before I hopped in Charlie's truck and ripped out of Mike's yard.

* * *

**Hah, my writing for this (I handwrite all of this before I type it) is super aggressive. You could tell I was pissed off at Edward for being such a douche.**

**Love,  
Mary**


	15. Chapter 14

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Alone  
**Pen **name**:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

* * *

My phone rang off the hook as I sped home. Edward tried phoning me twice and then Emmett and Alice both phoned after him. Then the texts came.

"Im sorry."

"U didnt break up w. me did u?"

"B hes so drunk. Jst let things calm down b4 u make any decisions."

"Doll if u need me, jst txt me. I'll come if u need me 2."

I shut off my phone with a sigh and then turned up the radio. It was the damn country station again. I had forgotten my iThing hookup and Rose took her CD with her to put in Garrett's vehicle because he was the one taking all of them home.

Obviously I was upset. Only days ago, I had come to the conclusion that I was falling for this guy. I didn't know something that I did three years ago would come back and bite me in the ass this hard. Sure, Edward had the right to be mildly disappointed that I didn't tell him that at one point in my life, I was far from pure, but there was no way in hell that should have happened. It was so beyond unfair. I should have broken up with the ass.

When I finally got home, I decided to turn my phone on again to at least tell Emmett, Alice, and Rose that I was okay.

There were a few more texts from random people.

"Did u and edward breakup?" from Mike.

"U ok, babe?" from Jasper.

"Jst makin sure ur ok," from Rose.

I snorted at this one: "Call me :)" from Garrett.

I quickly let Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett know I was alright. I dismissed the other texts and then turned my phone off again.

Surprisingly, I fell asleep right away. I thought I would have spent the night pondering what I had done to deserve this.

For a second, before I fell asleep, I even considered phoning Jake and reaming him out. That asshat could go to hell for all I cared.

There were no reassuring dreams or realistic nightmares either. I felt very calm, yet totally scrambled on the inside. There was a war waging, but it was more of a Cold War than a World War Two. It felt like I was wound up and anything could make me snap.

I was just exhausted. I hadn't been home this early in a long time. Maybe I could take the weekend off to catch up on sleep, think about what the hell was going to do with Edward.

Breaking up with him seemed harsh but not bad enough at the same time. Edward got caught up in his emotions easily, especially when it came to anger. He said sorry already. He regretted it. But he still did it. He called me a slut and told me he didn't know why he'd even got with me. And it hurt. It hurt a lot. It was like a kick to a stomach and then a slap across the face. I hated that he could do that to me and I couldn't even make him flinch.

Someone shook my shoulders gently, causing me to tense and roll away.

"Go away, Dad," I mumbled. "I'm tired."

As soon as the weight changed on my mattress, I knew it was Edward and not my dad. He put his hand on my bare arm.

"Bella," he murmured. "Can you please look at me?"

I sighed. I didn't want to, but I turned anyway. I kept a safe distance between us. Edward looked like shit. He was probably feeling the hangover today.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized, looking me straight in the eyes. "You have to believe me when I say I didn't mean those things. I was just pissed that Black knew you and I got stupid drunk." He shook his head. "You don't deserve that kind of shit, Bella."

"S'okay," I assured him lamely. I was still hurt, but I could deal with it.

"Apparently Emmett heard the whole thing." He looked away. He wasn't very impressed with himself. "He told me what I said. If Emmett ever said that to Rosalie, I'd probably kick his ass. I freaked out over nothing. I'm sorry, Bella."

"I know," I breathed.

Edward ran his hand over my hair.

"You are the most beautiful girl I know," he said quietly. "The fact that you can look at me right now and let me be around you even after I was such a dick is amazing to me." He brushed his lips over my forehead. "You could do so much better than me and yet you're still here, putting up with all my bullshit."

I smiled before catching Edward's lips with my own for a quick kiss.

"Edward, forget about it," I told him. "Please. The past is the past."

He smiled briefly and closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to his chest. He buried his face in my hair and kissed the top of my head. "What did I ever do to deserve you to be my girlfriend?"

"You acted like this," I whispered against his neck. My hands fisted themselves in his FHS t-shirt. "Was Charlie home when you got here?"

"No."

"Good."

I pulled away from Edward to kiss him on the lips, my tongue sliding between his surprised lips. He automatically responded enthusiastically and soon he rolled on top of me.

We made out for a while and discarded clothes here and there. Soon, Edward was only in his boxers and I was left in the spandex shorts I had been wearing under the sweats I wore to bed and my bra.

"You probably forgot condoms again, huh?" I said breathlessly as Edward's mouth moved down my chest and onto my stomach.

"Yes," he breathed against my ribs. "Sorry."

"I bought some." I reached into my night stand and pulled one out. "I can't stand going without you for this long."

Edward smiled against my stomach. "I'm glad I make you feel that way" – he kissed my pelvic bone – "but I think I owe you for last weekend."

He pulled down my shorts and I gasped as he blew on my heated core. No one had ever gone down on me. I never expected anyone to. Sucking someone's dick just didn't seem as intimate as someone going down on a girl.

I was pleasantly surprised when Edward began lapping at me, his tongue swirling across the heated, sensitive skin, his fingers grazing at my opening. It wasn't as quick, but it was intense and it felt amazing. I had to work for it, so I felt so much more satisfied when my insides finally clamped and recoiled giving me a nice orgasmic high to enjoy. To say it was mind-blowing would be an exaggeration, but to say I didn't like it would not be right at all.

Edward grinned after I came back down to earth. He crawled back up my body, his erection pressing into my skin, making me fire up once again.

He kissed me. "I'm guessing you enjoyed it."

I nodded with a lazy smile. "I did."

"That's the first time I've ever done that with a girl."

"That's the first time anyone's ever done that to me," I admitted. I ran my fingers through his hair. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he breathed before kissing me again.

We discarded the rest of our clothing and Edward let me slip the condom on him. It took a second for me to adjust to him as he sank into me.

"God, I can't believe how tight you are," he groaned into my neck. His hands were gripping my thighs tightly as he moved within me, making my breath hitch.

We didn't rush. We took time to explore each other while we were connected. I realized that I was much more flexible than I thought. Edward pulled my legs up onto his shoulders, making him hit that sweet spot deep within my body.

When we were ready, we both let ourselves go; I came before Edward, who came seconds after I let go. It was simple and beautiful. I never felt so comfortable with anyone in my life. Edward and I fell asleep right after, our limbs tangled and our hands linked.

Things could only get better after this.

* * *

**The description of Edward going down on Bella is just from stories shared amongst girls. Only one of my friends said she liked it, but she liked it because she had to work for it, and that made her appreciate it. Idk. I'm still…pure.**

**Love,  
Mary**


	16. Chapter 15

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Restraint  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

* * *

Edward and I were much better after that weekend. I trusted him, he trusted me, and we had fun with each other.

Playoffs began just after midterms. We demolished Seloquin without even sweating. Our next game was against Port Angeles. The word on the street was that they'd improved a lot and they were coming back with a vengeance, especially against Edward. Most of the teams in the league figured out that James was no longer our top dog, Edward was. They were on him like hungry wolves on a piece of meat.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, we had improved as well. The first and second periods passed without anything interesting going on. Jasper and Edward were both playing very well, so the score was five to zero for us. The fans weren't even paying attention anymore.

At the beginning of the third, however, the captain from P.A. slammed Edward into the boards. Edward had been bent over, so his head and neck were crumpled at impact. My stomach fell and my heart jumped. He was just laying there. Edward never did that. He had a very high pain threshold. You knew it was bad when Edward admitted to it being painful.

Esme gripped my arm tightly as she watched her stepson get looked at by Carlisle. After what felt like an eternity, Edward struggled to stand and was led off the ice by Carlisle and Emmett. The captain got kicked out of the game in the process.

_Edward's fine,_ I told myself. _He's fine._ But I was still sick to my stomach with fear. What if the next time he stepped onto the ice it was worse? He could become paralyzed. He could die.

Edward walked out the locker room and I immediately went down to meet him. I hugged him, hiding my tear-filled eyes. He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed the top of my head.

"I'm okay," he assured me.

"I know," I sighed. "You just scared me."

He smiled half-heartedly as I pulled away from him. He held my hand as we walked to the bleachers and sat down to watch the end of the game.

Edward didn't even bother to stick around to say good game to the guys. He stood up and took me out to the truck as soon as the period ended.

We let the music play while we drove aimlessly around town. My mind conjured all the possible injuries Edward could accumulate if he continued playing hockey. Honestly, it scared me. I was terrified one day I'd get a phone call saying that Edward ended up in the ER.

I tried to keep my panicking to a minimum, but it felt like I was about to become hysterical. I took deep breaths and blinked away the tears as we pulled up to Edward's house.

"No one's here tonight," he told me as he parked the truck. "Parent meeting, and then they'll end up at the bar."

We walked inside hand-in-hand. Edward led me to his room. I rummaged through his drawers while Edward grabbed Tylenol and water. I threw him a pair of shorts and a baggy Superbowl t-shirt. I changed into his Kings of Forks t-shirt and the pair of shorts I left here after I spent the night.

Edward let me undress him while he tried moving his neck without flinching unsuccessfully. I'd kiss whichever body part I was closest to whenever he'd flinch from the pain.

After Edward pulled his clothes on, we both got into bed. I shut off the lamp and let him lean into me. He rested his head on my chest, his arm thrown over my stomach, his legs tangling with mine. It felt like I was taking care of him for the first time since I'd met him. Edward was never weak. He was unbreakable. At least that's what it had seemed like.

"I was scared," he admitted quietly. "At first, I thought I couldn't move. I thought I was done for."

My lips mashed together to hold back the sobs that were burying themselves in my mouth.

"It felt like my skull cracked open," Edward continued quietly. "For a second, I thought there was going to be blood."

I ran my fingers through his hair slowly, trying to relax him.

"But then the pain hit me, and I knew I couldn't be paralyzed. I never felt so relieved to be in so much pain."

"I was so worried," I whispered, the tears still stuck in my throat. "You didn't move for a long time. Esme was the only thing keeping me from jumping over the boards and running to you."

Edward rubbed his hand along my stomach.

"And you're not even close to done," I continued, borderline hysterical. "You still have years left to get injured. Something worse could happen."

"Don't worry about me," Edward murmured. "Please. It's my job to worry about _you._"

"Just let me take care of you for tonight," I breathed as I caught his lips with mine.

Edward's right hand grasped my hip while my fingers brushed over his jaw. I had to take the reins, because Edward could barely lift his head off the pillow, which was another first for me. Usually I let Edward overpower me so that I didn't feel so pressured. I didn't think I was good at being sexy, so I just let the guys do everything for me. But, it was nice to be in control, to show Edward that I could help him, too.

My first instinct was to just pleasure him. I didn't need anything in return tonight, and I told him that after he came. He wouldn't hear any of that.

"Listen to me," he said, cupping my face in his hands, "if you're willing to take care of me tonight, you're going to have to listen to what I'm saying. I want to be inside of you, Bella."

My determination melted as soon as he whispered those words. Edward's warm hands slipped down my shorts to pull them down and things continued from there. I "took care" of Edward, and still managed to have one of those shakes-you-to-the-core orgasms that only he could provide me with.

We took everything slowly that night. It was the first time anyone had gone slow with me. I wondered if maybe that was what making love was supposed to be like.

* * *

**Don't know why, but I'm not very comfortable with writing sex scenes anymore. Maybe it's because it's Lent, haha. **

**Love,  
Mary**


	17. Chapter 16

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Dark  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

* * *

Playoffs continued. Parties continued. Life continued. Edward and I became even closer, which I had thought was impossible. I started hanging out with the rest of the hockey girlfriends, which included Alice now. She and Jasper started dating on Valentine's Day.

We were playing the Seattle Sonics and then Lauren Mallory was hosting a party afterwards. The game wasn't until 8:30 at night, so Rosalie and I got ready before the game instead of after. Edward didn't want me to go; he wanted me to go out for supper with him. Rosalie told me that what he really meant was he wanted a pre-game fuck, so I said no, which made Edward all pouty and shit. Sometimes I wondered if he just wanted me for himself.

Edward was obviously texting me while we were getting ready. We were talking about Olympic hockey. We were torn between Team U.S.A. and Team Canada. We didn't know whether we should be patriotic or if we should support Team Crosby.

Then Rosalie snatched my phone before I could answer Edward's last text.

"What're you saying?" I asked, not bothering to fight with her.

"I'm just telling him that you have more important things to do." She smirked evilly. "Maybe I'll put, 'If you don't score a goal, you won't score with me either.'"

I had to laugh. It was pretty clever. Rosalie kept my phone and rolled her eyes at Edward's reply.

"What'd he say?" I asked. I was hoping he wouldn't freak out.

"Nothing," Rosalie muttered. "Just, 'I love you, babe.'"

I knew she was lying. Edward and I hadn't said that to each other yet. The only time I ever got those words from Edward were when Emmett or Jasper took his phone from him. But I shrugged it off.

Rose and I picked up Alice before we went to the game. We all had go-mugs with orange juice and vodka in them. I was already starting to feel the effects of the alcohol by the end of the second period. By the end of the third, I was tipsy. We won three to one.

"Coming, Bella?" Rose asked when we got into the lobby.

Alice looked at me as she sat down. "I thought you were going to stay since you didn't hang out with Edward before the game."

I bit my lip and looked at Rose. She gave me a pointed look.

"Um, I'll see Edward at the party, I guess," I said. "See you later, Alice."

She sighed. "Bye, Bella."

Rosalie and I left the rink and received some whistles from the Sonics.

"Hey, baby!" one of them yelled. "Can I ride you home?"

I laughed. "I didn't bring my saddle, cowboy. Sorry."

All the idiots laughed amongst themselves as Rose and I got into her car and headed to Lauren's.

Garrett, James, Lauren, and Jessica were playing quarters when we got there, so I joined in. Garrett was like the king of quarters, and always made me drink, so by midnight, I was totaled. I still hadn't seen the rest of my crew. Rosalie kept looking at her cell phone and answering texts. I looked at my phone. I had one text from Alice.

_Edward's pissed u._

I scowled. _Y?_

_Ur acting a lot like Rose._

_So?_

_He doesn't like that._

_Where r u guys?_

_Mite not come cuz e's being a pouty bitch._

I smiled. _K, i'll text him._

But instead of texting him, I drunk dialed him.

"Hey," he answered. He sounded grouchy.

"Hey, babe," I replied. "Aren't you going to come?"

"I don't see the point if you're just going to ignore me all night." Yep, he was definitely grouchy.

"Come on, Edward. I'm not going to ignore you. I really want you here. I'm getting my ass kicked in quarters by Garrett. I need you to come save me."

I could hear him laugh. "Alright, fine. But you're coming home with me."

"We'll see," I teased.

"I'll be there soon."

"Bye."

I smiled at my handiwork before rejoining the quarter's game. Fifteen minutes later, they all came through the door. Rosalie pounced on Emmett; Alice was swinging the keys on her fingers and smacking her gum while Edward and Jasper both brought in cases of beer. They all said hey to a few of the guys before Edward, Jasper, and Emmett all joined our game.

"Now you're gunna get it, Garrett," I announced in a slurring voice.

"Wow, you really got her good, huh Garrett?" Edward asked as he bounced the quarter into the shot glass. "Drink, by the way."

Garrett took a shot and then laughed. "Yeah, I've been picking on her all night. I didn't know she sucked so badly."

"Well, she really does," Edward said with a chuckle. "Maybe you should quit, babe."

"No, I'm not quitting," I disagreed. Rosalie gave me a nod of approval.

Edward whispered, "We could go home," in my ear and I almost considered leaving.

"Don't tell me what to do, Edward," I snapped. "I wanna get my drink on."

Edward blinked at me, totally shocked by my outburst. Everyone else was laughing. I smirked at him before I took a shot of vodka and then chased it with some strawberry Sourpuss.

"Can we go talk outside?" Edward asked me quietly. He looked pretty upset.

"Fine." I sighed like it was really inconvenient for me to leave the table with him.

Edward grasped my hand and led me to the porch and helped me with my shoes and jacket before taking me outside. We hopped in Edward's truck, but it wasn't the backseat like I expected.

"Bella, you've been acting weird lately," Edward said. "Do you remember when we talked about how insane Rose could get during the hockey season? Yeah, you're sort of acting like that."

"Fuck that," I snapped. "I'm not like that, Edward. How dare you accuse me of that shit."

Edward sighed. "You're doing it again."

I took a deep breath.

"You've been hanging out with her a lot," Edward pointed out.

"So?"

"Well, she's rubbing off on you."

"Fuck," I said with a laugh. "Come on, Edward. Let's just forget about this. Take me home."

"Are you gunna stop being such a bitch?" Edward asked bluntly.

"I'm not being a bitch!" I cried.

"Yeah, you really are," Edward replied.

"How?"

"You ditched me to hang out with Rosalie even though you knew I was freaking out about this game. You didn't stay and talk. You told me that if I didn't get a goal we wouldn't be able to hook up tonight," he listed.

"Whatever," I murmured.

"Yeah, whatever," Edward answered angrily. "I'm breaking up with you."

"Wait, what?" I asked, his words making their way through my foggy brain.

Edward opened the door. "I don't need this shit. Sorry, Bella. I really like you, but I can't handle this bitchy shit you're pulling."

I was in shock. I slid out of the truck slowly, trying to comprehend things.

Edward said, "See you around" before going back in the house.

I started stumbling home; choking back tears, and regretting everything I had done in the past couple of weeks. I really had been a bitch to Edward. I deserved this. But it still hurt too much to be comfortable with.

* * *

**Sorry, Americans, but I'd really just like to kill your hockey team right now. It won't happen ever again. My husband (Sidney Crosby) is feeling much better after a couple of days of practice/lovin'. ;) God, the things I would do to Sidney Crosby…**

**Love,  
Mary**


	18. Chapter 17

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Apathy  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

**This is short.**

**

* * *

  
**

Thank God FHS had February break. I wouldn't have been able to face Edward, or any of our other friends for that matter. After I took the time to realize that I had, in fact, turned into a bitch, I felt horrible. I called Edward out on being a prick after he got in that fight with Jacob and he had every right to break up with me for the way I acted. I was feeling too low to even text Edward, let alone see him in person.

I phoned my mom and asked if I could come visit her. I needed to figure my shit out and maybe get some sun while I was at it.

All day Sunday was spent packing. Charlie wasn't sure if he liked me leaving or not. The Kings had a couple of games and Charlie believed that I was their lucky charm.

"I'm coming back," I assured him. "I just need some time to figure some stuff out."

Charlie smiled and patted my shoulder. "I'll be waiting at the airport when you're ready to come home."

My flight wasn't due to leave until Monday afternoon, so I had some time to hang out with Jasper and Alice before I left. They practically forced themselves on me.

"We heard the news," Jasper said when I opened the door. They had junk food and movies.

"Oh?" I replied as I let them in.

"You look like shit," Alice told me.

"I feel like shit," I sighed. "Edward was right. I was being a bitch."

"Why don't you tell him that?" Alice asked while jasper popped in _The Time Traveler's Wife_.

"I'm so embarrassed," I said. "I just need some time. When I get back from Phoenix–"

"You're going to Phoenix?" Jasper interrupted.

I nodded. "I'm visiting Renee and figuring my life out."

"You should tell him," Alice warned.

"No, I don't want this to be a big deal," I argued. "Don't tell him. Please."

Alice sighed. "Fine, but he's going to find out, Bella. He's been checking his cell phone every five seconds and asking if anyone called for him. He's going to take you back, Bella. You just have to admit that you were wrong."

"I _will,_" I assured her. "I'm just not as confident as Edward. He shouldn't want me back. Not after the way I've been acting."

"Why'd you take him back then?" Jasper asked. "He was an asshole to you and you didn't even think twice about taking him back after he said sorry."

"It's different," I mumbled.

"No, it's not," Jasper told me, almost sternly.

"Let's just watch the movie, okay?" I said.

We watched the movie and I got my crying done with. They both left at around 9:30. Apparently they were all hanging out at Garrett's house and I hadn't been invited. Edward was probably fine without me.

Rosalie came to my house at nine the next morning.

"Hey, Rose." I had no idea why she was here.

"Hey, Bella," she replied sullenly. "Listen, I just wanted to apologize for making you push Edward away. I never meant to be so mean. It's just, I thought it'd be fun to bug Edward like that because he's got such a short temper and I knew I'd get a reaction out of him. I didn't know he'd take it all out on you."

"No, it's my fault, Rose," I told her. "Seriously. Don't worry about it."

She smiled half-heartedly at me. "I'll, uh, see ya later, Bella. If you feel up to it, James is having a party or something tonight."

"I'll think about it," I told her. No one else needed to know that I was leaving town.

I got to Phoenix around suppertime. Renee was waiting for me. I hadn't seen my mom since September. I gave her a big hug and saved my tears for later. She would know something went wrong.

We ate some McDonald's before leaving the airport and going to the apartment I used to call home. It was the exact same as when I left home. It felt like I'd never left at all.

"So, spill," Renee said after I showered and put my clothes away.

I sighed. "It's about a boy."

"You have a _boy_ and you didn't tell me!" Renee and I were more like best friends than mother and daughter.

"It was hard to keep to myself, but yeah, I _had_ a boyfriend," I told her. She gave me a sympathetic smile. "He's on Dad's hockey team. Edward Cullen, Carlisle's son."

"Oh, yes, I remember him," Renee interjected.

"Anyway, we started dating in December, and things were great. I liked him more than I liked Sam by far. But, I got caught up with the hockey girlfriends and started acting like them." I sighed. "He had every right to break up with me, Mom, and I'm too embarrassed to try to talk to him about it."

Renee rubbed my arm. "Take all the time you need, Bella. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Now, how about we make some brownies?"

We made our brownies and Renee told me about Phil, her latest boyfriend. He was only twenty-seven, and Renee was thirty-five, but she seemed happy, which was all I asked for. We watched old, romantic movies and I told her all about life in Forks, the good and the bad.

I didn't realize how much I needed Renee until she was comforting me while I cried over the latest breakup and the time that Edward and I had our big fight before.

"Hockey players can be dicks, Bella," she told me. "They're so passionate about everything and their emotions are always involved whether they know it or not. Sometimes it can be too much."

"But, I–" I what? Loved him? Maybe. "I pushed him away this time, Mom," I wailed.

"Did you ever think that there might be a reason behind that?" she asked gently. "I mean, besides the fact that you were hanging out with that girl."

"Like what?" I had no idea what the reason could be besides Rose.

"Maybe you're scared," Renee offered. "You're falling for the first time, Bella, and if you're anything like your father, you're scared shitless of that feeling."

"Could be," I mumbled, almost hating how insightful she could be. "Then why did I take him back the first time then? If I was scared, why didn't I just let him go when I had the chance?"

"You've always been selfless, Bella," she told me. "You probably couldn't stand seeing him so upset and you knew you held the key to making him feel better. But now that he's broken up with, you feel like you deserve it. Maybe you deserve a reality check, but there's no way things should end over a little spiff like that. Charlie and I used to fight over things like that every day."

"Okay, okay. Maybe you're right," I gave her. "I'll just… I don't know. I don't think I can face the music."

"If that's the case, then stay in Phoenix," Renee replied simply. "No one can force you to do anything, Bella."

I sighed. "We'll see."

We continued watching movies, eventually falling asleep together on the couch.

The next couple of days were spent meeting Phil, shopping, and laying out in the sun. Some of my old friends even stopped by for a visit, even Sam.

On Thursday, I got an unexpected visitor.

Edward.

* * *

**Ooo, cliffy! I'm such a bag, hah.**

**Team Canada won gold in women's hockey tonight! Woo! Just a preview for the final on Sunday. ;) Sidney Crosby, if you ever read this, I love you and I'll see you after you win that gold medal. And you'll only be wearing that gold medal for the rest of the night.**

**Hah, classic.**

**Love,  
Mary**


	19. Chapter 18

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Fragments  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

**This is Edward's PoV. It will be the only time I'll ever do Edward's PoV in this story. This chapter just was explained better through Edward's eyes. And I'm partial to EPoV anyway.**

**

* * *

  
**

It was already Wednesday and Bella hadn't even texted me. And there was no way in hell I was going to keep chasing after her.

I tried to get Alice to text Bella and tell her to text me, but she wouldn't do it. I tried the same thing with Jasper, but he was a no-go either.

Everyone was extra cautious around me. No one talked about Bella, and when I brought her up, the subject would miraculously change. I didn't have a fucking clue as to what was going on, but I knew they were hiding something. Something about my girlfriend. I mean, my ex-girlfriend.

Fuck, it really sucked calling her my ex. I really liked Bella. A lot. As in, if she didn't talk to me within the next twenty-four hours, I'd go crawling back to her, apologizing for overreacting. Then I thought that twenty-four hours was too damn long to go without seeing her, so I hopped in my truck and took off for her house.

Chief opened the door before I could knock a third time.

"Hello, Edward," he greeted. "What're you doing here?"

"Is Bella home?" I asked him. "I need to talk to her."

"She didn't tell you?" Chief looked surprised.

I scowled. "Tell me what?"

"She went to Phoenix to visit her mom, kid," Chief told me.

That was what everyone had been hiding from me.

"No, she didn't tell me that," I grumbled, running my hand through my hair. "When will she be back?"

Chief shrugged and gave me a sympathetic smile. "I really don't know, Edward. Renee phoned the other day and said that Bella might stay in Phoenix now."

What the fuck?

"Are you serious?" I asked. "She's gunna move away. Just like that? Without telling me?"

"I guess so," Chief said with another shrug. "But that was just a maybe, Edward. She could decide to come home. Knowing Renee, though, she'll do everything in her power to force Bella to stay away from me."

"Thanks, Chief," I mumbled as I left his house.

Within the next twelve hours, I was on a flight to Phoenix. Mom understood, and that was all that mattered. She had Dad wrapped around her little finger. My flight even got paid for by Dad's Air Miles.

There was no way in hell I was going to let Bella leave me like that. If she wanted to stay in Phoenix after we talked, then whatever. Bad luck for me. Hopefully she'd come home though. Hopefully she would understand that I really… I really loved her.

I got the address to Bella's mom's house from Chief before I left. I gave the slip of the paper to the driver and told him to drive.

They lived in an apartment building. Chief hadn't put down the number of the apartment that they lived in. I swallowed. What was I supposed to do now?

There was a girl lying on a blanket in a bikini. Maybe she knew where they lived.

"Excuse me," I said, trying to get her attention.

She looked up. It was Bella. In a bikini. Holy shit, I'd never been so happy for the sunlight in my life.

"Edward? What're you… How'd you find me?" she spluttered as she sat up.

"I had to find out from your dad that you ditched Forks," I told her. "You couldn't have even texted me about this? I've been wondering about why you weren't even talking to me."

"I'm really sorry," she apologized. "About everything. I was being a bitch and you don't deserve that."

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" I asked her as I sat down. "I'm not that scary, am I, Bella?"

"No, it's just…" She bit her lip and looked at me cautiously. "I've been scared."

"About what?"

"I don't know. Us, I guess," she mumbled.

"Bella, you are the most frustrating girl I know," I groaned. "You're stubborn and proud. You hate being wrong, and even when you know you're wrong, you'll never admit it. You're a perfectionist and when things don't go the way you want them to, you pout. You hold grudges over the stupidest things. You're obsessed with lost causes, like teaching me my manners when I'm fucking seventeen-years-old. You make me work hard. You hardly trust anyone." I smiled at her. "You're the most ridiculous girl I know" – I held her sullen face in my hands – "and that's why I love you."

Her eyes widened. I kissed her forehead gently. There, I said it. I'm in love. The guys tell me I'm pussy-whipped. I don't give a shit. I'm the luckiest guy in the world.

"You really love me?" she asked quietly. My usually confident girlfriend was suddenly unsure of herself.

I nodded.

"I love you, too," she murmured shyly.

My smile was immense. What had originally been a shitty week turned into something awesome. Bella wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me while she tried to contain her smile.

"Now, are you going to come back to Forks?" I asked her quietly as we parted to breathe.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, scowling.

"Chief said that you were thinking about staying in Phoenix."

Bella rolled her eyes. "My mom probably said that to piss Charlie off. I never even thought about staying here, Edward. I could never just leave you hanging like that."

"Well, you could have just told me you needed time," I murmured as I linked our hands. "I would have understood."

"I know," she sighed as she leaned into me. She was so warm. "I was being ridiculous. I thought that if I just left Forks, I'd be able to think things through better. Everyone would have an opinion on what I should do, and I needed to do this by myself."

"S'okay."

"Edward?" she asked.

"Hmm," I hummed in response, closing my eyes and laying down on the blanket. I felt Bella lay down beside me.

"Have you ever been in love before?"

I pursed my lips. "No, not really. I mean, I used to tell girls I loved them, but that was just because I wanted to get action. Have you?"

She shook her head. "Renee thinks that's why I was scared to talk to you. You're my first serious relationship, and I've been known to run from serious."

I locked my arms around her. "Well, you're not running anymore."

She laughed quietly before she asked, "Do you want to go inside? Phil and Renee are out for the rest of the day."

I groaned as I stood up and then I helped Bella to her feet. I bent down a little and she hopped on my back, wrapping her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. I carried her into the building.

"Which apartment?" I asked.

"Two-A," she replied in my ear.

Fuck me. If I wouldn't have been giving Bella a piggyback ride, I would have sprinted to the apartment. Bella giggled as I ran up the stairs without losing my breath. Hockey was really paying off. Bella slid off my back to open the door.

It wasn't a big apartment. It was miniscule compared to Chief's house. Renee must not have gotten much out of him in the divorce.

Bella grabbed my hand. "Come on," she murmured, nodding her head towards what I assumed was her bedroom.

Her bedroom here was the size of her closet in Forks, but it was still Bella. The walls were painted green and her bed was covered in black sheets and blankets. Her closet was empty and I saw her bag lying open on the floor at the foot of the bed. Her cell phone was charging on the night stand. It would beep occasionally, probably receiving texts from Alice or Jasper, asking her if we were back together. Thank God I turned my phone off.

I pulled Bella to me, kissing her fiercely. God, did I ever love this girl. She put up with me when no one else could. She knew what to say when I needed it most. She knew when to make me talk and when to leave me alone. She knew me better than I knew myself, and that terrified and exhilarated me.

Bella's knees buckled when I backed her up to the bed. She pulled herself onto the bed before I fell on top of her, holding myself above her so I didn't crush her. Her hands moved under my shirt, pushing it up my chest and over my head. I sat up and threw it to the side before raking my eyes over her mostly naked body, being turned on all over again.

I brushed my hand over her hair and to the knot at her neck, undoing her black bikini top. I pulled the material away from her body, revealing her naked, heaving chest. I looked into her eyes, finding lust and love mixed together.

She sat up and caught my bottom lip between hers. I undid the knot behind her back and threw her top away as we continued to make out. Bella undid my belt buckle and jeans quickly. I rolled us over so she was straddling me instead. She smiled against my lips.

"Just take your pants off, Cullen," she commanded quietly before she pecked my lips again.

I lifted my hips off the bed and let her pull them off for me, revealing my lucky boxers. I'd had them for too long, but they always got me what I wanted. They were decorated to look like an American flag.

Bella laughed when she saw them. "I didn't know you were so patriotic."

I shrugged before pulling her back to me, squeezing her against my chest. I slid my hands down her back and under her bikini bottoms, pushing them down her legs. She lifted herself off of me and kicked the bottoms off quickly before crushing her lips back to mine. My left hand wandered back up her bare thighs and in between her legs, finding her pussy and gliding my fingers over the slick, bare folds slowly, making Bella moan into my mouth. I could practically feel her pulse racing as my fingers slipped into her.

"Edward," Bella moaned as she arched into me. Her breathing hitched as I curled my finger slightly.

I added another finger, making her buck into my palm. Her eyes closed and her mouth bobbed open when my thumb found her clit. I pressed it lightly, which made her hips jump again. I chuckled at her body's enthusiastic reaction to me.

"Edward, I want you inside me," she whispered, even though her body was trembling as she neared an orgasm. I quickly pumped my fingers in and out of her and teased her clit, making her cum with a short cry.

Thank God I finally figured out that Bella was ready to have sex. I thought she was going to hit me the last time I forgot a condom. I was an idiot for not taking advantage of it before. I grabbed my jeans quickly and pulled out my wallet, clumsily looking for the condoms I had shoved in there.

Bella was still riding out her orgasm when I finally got the condom out of my wallet. I rolled her over and pulled off my boxers quickly, rolling the condom on myself.

"You ready?" I asked her, my body hovering over hers.

She nodded meekly, her hands grasping my neck, pulling my painfully hard cock closer to her vibrating pussy. I entered her slowly, trying to keep her from becoming overpowered by her sensitive nerves. I finally sank fully into her. She sighed and ran her nails over my shoulders. She kissed my chest as I thrust slowly into her, enjoying her warmth that could consume me.

Very soon after that, I felt Bella start to tighten around me. I was feeling close to the edge myself.

"Just let go, babe," I murmured in her ear.

She caught my lips with hers. I thrust one more time before she came, causing me to come soon after that. I pulled out of her after I stopped seeing stars and fell onto the bed beside her. She grabbed my boxers for me and she changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top before crawling back into bed with me.

"Renee doesn't understand the meaning of privacy," she explained when she crawled under the covers.

I nodded sleepily before pulling Bella to me for a well-deserved nap.

"I love you," she mumbled.

I sighed contentedly. "I love you, too."

* * *

**A few things:**

**Charlie is really rich in this fic. He was a NHL player, for Christ's sake. So, yes, I didn't fuck up when Edward said that Bella's apartment was tiny and all that.**

**hunterhunting is writing a very hot hockey fic as well. If you're interested in NHL players and what they do with their dicks when they win a game, go read "The Misapprehension of Bella Swan." TKoF is more of the hockey side of things, but TMoBS is just pure sex appeal. I like it.**

**CANADA WON THE FUCKING GOLD AT THE OLMYPICS! SUCK IT, TEAM U.S.A.! AND I'M SORRY IF YOU'RE A PATRIOTIC AMERICAN, BUT I REALLY DON'T CARE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE JUST FUCKING WON! Sidney Crosby, when (if) you read this, print this out, and it is your free coupon into my pants. Seriously, husband. I'm giving you permission to do anything, **_**anything your dirty hockey mind can think of,**_** to me. I am your slave. Your love slave.**

**The next six chapters are going to be hard for me. I got the main idea of the story done with, now it's just getting to the happily ever after. I'll finish this before the end of March though, obviously. No worries.**

**Love (even if you happen to be a pissed off American),  
Mary**

**P.S. I LOVE ALL MY READERS. THANK YOU FOR BEING SO WONDERFUL.**


	20. Chapter 19

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Languid  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing: **Canon and non-canon**  
Rating: **M

* * *

"Bella!" I recognized my mom's voice. "Who's in bed with you?"

My first reaction was to ask her what she was talking about. Then I remembered that my boyfriend had come all the way to Phoenix to tell me he loved me.

Edward was still sleeping, both of his arms wrapped around my torso like a cage. His face was snuggled into my neck, and every time he exhaled, I could feel his warm breath against my skin. His lips brushed against me occasionally. God, I loved him.

"Sh," I shushed before whispering, "This is Edward Cullen, the guy I was telling you about."

Renee scowled. I could see Phil behind her, looking over her shoulder. "What is he doing here?"

"Well, _someone_ told Charlie that I was planning on staying in Phoenix," – I glared at her – "so, Edward came to ask me to come home. We're dating again."

I could see Renee blushing. "Oh, well, um, that's very good, Bella. I'm happy things worked out. We'll just leave you two be, then."

Phil chuckled at Renee's mortified expression while she closed the door. I smiled and shook my head as I ran my fingers through Edward's hair. I still couldn't believe he came to Phoenix just for me. It went above and beyond any expectations I had for a boyfriend. At least a boyfriend in high school.

He sighed and nuzzled my neck, his arms constricting around me while he threw a leg over mine. He was too warm.

"Edward," I murmured. "Wake up."

"No," he mumbled stubbornly.

I laughed quietly. "Come on, babe. I'm dying of heat stroke over here. At least stop smothering me."

He groaned and rolled over, his arms still locked around me so that I was laying on top of him now. I laughed a little louder this time as Edward smiled against my collarbone.

"Do we have to get up?" he asked, his voice still thick with exhaustion.

"Well, seeing as Renee just walked into the room, yeah, it'd be nice," I told him with a smirk.

"Your mom was in the room?" Edward scowled. "I didn't hear anything."

"You're a deep sleeper," I told him before kissing him chastely on the lips. I untangled myself and got up, quickly running my fingers through my hair and straightening my shorts and tank top. "Get up, lazy ass. Time to meet my other parent."

Edward slowly rolled off my bed and pulled his jeans and t-shirt on while I checked my phone. I decided that I'd better phone Alice later if I wanted to remain on her good side.

We walked out of my room and out into the kitchen, where Phil and Renee were eating some Chinese food.

"Want some?" Phil asked, holding up a box of noodles.

"Yeah," I replied as I dished up food for myself. "Mom, Phil, this is my boyfriend, Edward," I introduced nonchalantly.

"Nice to meet you, Edward," Renee murmured. "Dig in. Bella told me you were a hockey player on Charlie's team."

"Oh, um, yeah, I'm right wing," Edward mumbled back as he grabbed some food.

"You any good?" Phil grunted.

I rolled my eyes. As if Phil knew anything about hockey.

"Well, I'm playing WHL next year in Calgary," Edward told him. "I guess I'm alright."

Understatement of the year. It was the first time I'd ever heard Edward act modest.

I phoned Alice after supper and told her mostly everything. She was happy that Edward and I were back together. She said she forgave me for ditching Forks during the most important break of the school year.

The next morning, Edward and I packed up to head back to Washington that afternoon. Charlie picked us up at the airport, which was a pleasant surprise.

"Hey, Bells," he greeted, throwing an arm around my shoulder and messing up my hair. "Decided to come home, huh?"

"I was always coming home, Dad," I told him as Edward followed behind us, carrying our bags.

"Oh, I knew that." He smiled, making his eyes crinkle.

"Then why'd you tell Edward–"

Charlie shrugged. "I knew you were pouty because of him. One white lie never hurt no one, did it?"

"Well, no, but–"

"Then don't question it," he replied simply, squeezing my shoulders.

"You're so bad," I said with a chuckle.

He shrugged again. "I do what I can."

We dropped Edward off and then went home. I showered and put away my clothes. I laid down on my bed and realized that Forks was my real home, and I never wanted to leave until I was done high school.

--

As I expected, Alice came over early in the evening to help me get ready for a night out. Garrett was having another small get together. Alice filled me in on the latest gossip: It was actually Garrett's sixteenth birthday tonight; Lauren and Jessica had a threesome with Mike Newton and got caught by Lauren's dad, the minister for the United Church in Forks; and the La Push guys had been showing up at a lot of parties in Forks lately.

Garrett's birthday party was a good unwind from the past days. Garrett made me do a line of birthday shots with him and then gave me a lingering kiss on the cheek before Edward pushed him away and territorially shoved his tongue down my throat. I gave Garrett a sympathetic smile; I really did like the kid. He just shrugged it off with a grin and went after Kate Cheney, Ben's younger sister.

I picked up where I left off. Jasper and I talked about what we were doing next year. Jasper wanted to go back to Texas, but he had an offer with the WHL team in Spokane. They were begging him to go play for them. I told Jasper that I applied for the University of Calgary. He grinned his smug smile and told me it was a good plan.

"You love him," he said, still smiling smugly.

I shrugged and mashed my lips together to stop myself from grinning.

He chuckled. "It's about time, Bella. The guy's been head over heels for you since that teen dance."

I shook my head and smile. "Shut up, Jasper."

He put his hands up defensively. "I just call 'em as I see 'em, darl."

Jasper chuckled when I pushed him playfully.

Emmett gave me a giant bear hug and a wet kiss on the cheek.

"Welcome back, baby girl!" he cried exuberantly. "How was Phoenix?"

"Good," I replied with a laugh. "How have you been, big guy?"

"Fucking fantastic," he said with a dimpled grin. Then his eyes wandered away from me. "Hey, Crowley! What's up, man?" And he was off.

I laughed as he stumbled away from me. Edward slid an arm around my waist. Life was perfect again.

* * *

**Not much left to do! Only five more posts. Hopefully I can finish them before the end of the month.**

**I'm just trying to let the story end itself. Not much action left. But, stick around. There's still more to come. ;)**

**Love,  
Mary**


	21. Chapter 20

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Obsession  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

**Short again.**

**

* * *

  
**

Being in love with Edward was all kinds of amazing. I was obsessed, in a good way, of course. My favourite part of the day was seeing Edward leaning against his truck while he waited for me to bolt out of the door to go to school.

Hockey was getting intense. We were in the quarter final against the Spokane Spartans. There were three practices a week instead of two. This was the real deal. Edward worked out every day he wasn't playing hockey and he ate more than Charlie and I put together. He was extremely jittery and easily upset. He claimed the only thing that would calm him down was having sex, but even when I did give into his pleas, he was always on edge.

It was all nerves. Sure, Edward was guaranteed a spot in Calgary, but it would look very good on his hockey resume if he helped lead the Kings to a first place finish in the AAA league.

Edward and I were hanging out after school before his first game versus Spokane at my house. Charlie was already at the rink, deciding on line-ups and what-not.

I noticed a large envelope from the University of Calgary on the table. I picked it up, excited and nervous to see what was in store for my future.

Edward walked into the room with his dirty plate. "What's that?"

I ripped the package open and read the word "Congratulations" before yelping and hopping into Edward's arms, kissing him excitedly.

"What is that?" he asked between kisses.

"My acceptance letter to the University of Calgary!" I exclaimed, smiling.

Edward grinned, his green eyes shining. He twirled me around and laughed.

When he set me down, he asked, "Why didn't you tell me that you were applying in Calgary?"

I shrugged. "I didn't want to jinx it."

He rolled his eyes. "You're really smart, why wouldn't they accept you?"

Smiling, I replied, "Because it would be almost too good to be true."

Edward kissed me once more before sighing. "I gotta go. I have to get all of my shit before I can go to the rink. We're going to Ben's right?"

"Hell yeah we are," I answered enthusiastically. "We're going to be celebrating your big win from tonight."

Edward smiled, nervousness clear on his face.

I cupped his cheeks in my hands. "Just play like you always do, babe."

He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning into me. "Thank you."

"I'll be the one with the giant sign that says 'Go #7!' on it," I told him with a rueful grin. I slapped his ass as he turned to leave. "Now go kick some Spokane ass."

Edward chuckled as he closed the door behind him. I walked back upstairs, smiling to myself. Seeing Edward nervous was cute, but I liked seeing him confident even more. Hopefully Charlie would have some words of wisdom.

I stood with Esme, as usual, holding my sign in front of my legs while the teams warmed up. Music blared as the fans piled into the rink.

The first period was tough. Spokane had a strong defence, but that was all they had going for them. Everyone else was trying to get Edward to fight, but he ignored them, thank God. We needed him more now than ever. We kept the puck in Spokane's end for the most part, trying to find holes in the defence. It was clear that Charlie was doing this on purpose so that they could go into the second period with both barrels blazing.

We were still tied zero to zero after twenty minutes of pretty clean play. Most people were extremely bored, as they probably would be until someone started beating us.

Charlie put Garrett in net. He trusted him enough to handle the weak offensive game that Spokane had. Jasper needed a break, too. Charlie had him playing all the time.

The second period had James, Edward, and Ben on one line, the strong line, and Mike, Eric, and Tyler on the penalty killing line. Mike's line worked well together at passing the puck around the ice, but Edward's line got us points.

After ten minutes, Edward finally picked a corner of the net, putting the first point on the board. After that, everyone's nerves dissipated. Before the period was finished, the score was three to zero.

Charlie changed the line-up from a strong offence to a balanced game again. Spokane was pushing the puck farther and farther into our zone. Garrett made great saves, and Emmett made a lot of the Spokane guy leave the ice to take a breather.

We ran the clock in the third, ending on a high note. Garrett was so happy with his performance that he took his helmet off and kissed Edward on the cheek. Edward pushed him playfully, grinning the whole time.

Edward and I drank on the way to Ben's while Jasper drove. The boys celebrated their win and got excited for their second game in Spokane on Sunday. It was two-game, total point, so as long as they beat Spokane again or even if they let Spokane win with only two points, they'd move onto the semis. Hopefully they'd just win again, though.

Kate Cheney and Eric Yorkie made out for most of the night in front of everyone. They had been dating since December, much to Ben's dismay. Ben and Garrett both glared at the couple. From what I had heard from Edward, Garrett and Kate used to be best friends, even though Kate is a year younger than him. I had a feeling it had more to deal with than just a friendship.

The boys won game two of the series two to one. We were going to the semis against the Olympian Mustangs. We were one step closer to the championship and a sweet victory.

* * *

**Four chapter left. Phew. I'll need to post all of 'em within a week.**

**I won tickets to a Hedley concert today! How freakin' sweet is that!? All I had to do was reply to a tweet. It pays to be a 'net geek! 8D**

**My 'rents were in the Domincan for the past week. They brought me home a giant beer, hah. It's very cool, and apparently it tastes really good, too. I'm pretty excited to party with that monster.**

**I've started posting another story, Schadenfreude. It's very different, but I think you guys will like it. It's on my profile.**

**Anyway, hopefully I'll get another chapter up by tomorrow or Friday. Let's wrap this thing up!**

**Mary**

**P.S. Who would be interested in a Garrett fic? Like, it would be the Garrett from The Kings of Forks. I've been thinking a lot about it, and I really like where things are going, so I think I'll do it. I've made an outline. It'll be 40+ chapters, if you can believe it. I'm so excited.**


	22. Chapter 21

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Taut  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

* * *

The Olympia mustangs were much like the Spokane Saints. Strong defence, but they weren't very quick on offence. We played the same basic game as before, Garrett played net again, and we ended up with a four to one win. This all occurred on a Thursday night, and the next game wasn't until the following Tuesday, so the Kings had the entire weekend to celebrate.

There was a party at James' on Friday that everyone was going to. Our group all went over to Edward and Alice's before the party to hang out and begin drinking. Jasper and Emmett were thoroughly drunk by the time we decided to leave. I only drank one beer, so I was the designated driver. I could tell Edward was close to being inebriated because he was singing while we drove to James', something that never happened unless he was totalled. Rosalie and Alice were taking it easy since their boyfriends decided to get all liquored up.

When we arrived at around ten-thirty, the house was packed. There were people from out of town, people I had never seen since I arrived in Forks. Alice told me that James used to live in Port Angeles, but moved here with his dad to play hockey when he was grade ten, and he still remained in touch with some of his old friends.

This party was just like the rest, I only talked to people I knew and I had a good time regardless of the fact that I was fairly anti-social. Garrett had started to hang out with our group more often because Kate had Eric and Ben had Angela. I felt bad for the kid when I saw him look over at his two best friends to see them making out with people. Luckily, Garrett didn't mope; he was just looking for a good time.

So, I spent the night with my boys and girls, talking about hockey, party's gone past, and stupid things that we'd accomplished lately.

Edward and Garrett managed to make their way over to the CD player and got it onto _Party in the U.S.A._ I rolled my eyes as the two of them started yelling the words and trying to remain on their feet. They were ridiculous, but I couldn't help but to laugh at them. The fact that they were still obsessed with this song even though it had gotten old in October was hilarious.

"Sit down, you losers!" Kate yelled from the couch, giggling while Eric's eyes rolled into the back of his head before he passed out on his girl. "Awe, fuck, someone get Eric into a bedroom."

Mike and Tyler hauled him into a different room, probably to tea bag him and draw on his face with permanent marker. I'd learnt my lesson way back in September when I got drawn on at Johnson's.

After the song was over and everyone settled down, Edward came and sat down on my knee so he could play quarter bounce with some of the guys. His bony ass dug into my thighs until I could barely handle it.

"Edward! You have the boniest ass ever!" I cried as he shifted on my lap while he laughed when Emmett spilt all over himself.

He shifted again in my lap, smirking down at me before kissing my forehead and standing up so I could sit on him. He kept a hand on my waist while he played and I could tell he was really playing up the situation because the guys were pissing themselves laughing at whatever performance Edward was putting on behind my back. I just laughed with them and shook my head, rolling my eyes, at my ridiculous boy. He could be so considerate, but oh-so immature.

At around midnight, someone announced that a track full of La Push boys just showed up. Thankfully I was the only one at the table that heard this news, so none of the boys suddenly stood up to fight.

That is, until Jacob Black and his posse walked right into the house like they owned the place.

"What the fuck is that clown doing here?" Edward asked Emmett, his brow furrowed and his hand tightening around my waist.

"We heard you guys might actually make it to the finals," Jacob sneered. "We thought we'd come check out the competition."

Emmett snorted. "It's no competition, Black. We both know that we're the better team here. We whooped your ass last time."

Jacob smirked. "Yeah, a one point one sure is a whooping, McCarty." Jacob's eyes landed on me and his grin widened. "Oh, Bella's here! Good! Now we can have an orgy in Hunter's bedroom." He nodded at the guys behind him. "C'mon, boys, Bella'll show us a good time."

My face turned bright red and I had to bit my lip and look at the ground to keep the tears trapped in my eyes. What a fucking prick.

"What did you just say?" Edward asked in a low, menacing voice.

"I said, you're girlfriend's gunna show us a good time," Jacob repeated slowly.

"Can you stand up for me, Bella?" Edward asked me through his teeth.

"No, Edward, don't–"

"Just let him go, Bella," Emmett told me. "He's going to fight whether you sit on his knee or not. Just get out of the way."

I stood up and crossed my arms, looking at Edward as he got off of the chair and walked right up to Jacob's face.

"Outside. _Now,_" Edward commanded.

Jacob smirked and turned to get out of the house. People rushed out the door after him and I followed slowly, being pushed on by Garrett, who was anxious to see the fight, but had to stay behind to make sure I didn't get involved in anything.

By the time I got outside, the two of them were already on the ground. Edward was more motivated, but Jacob outweighed him by quite a bit, in muscle and in mass.

I could see blood, but I couldn't see who was bleeding. I gnawed on my lip and gripped Garrett's wrist tightly while I watched them beat the shit out of each other. Garrett was cheering for Edward beside me, just like most of the crowd was. At least the majority of the people were on his side.

Finally, Jacob yelled out, "Fuck! Okay, I give in. Get him the fuck off of me."

Emmett and one of the La Push boys both stepped in and pulled them apart. Jacob was holding his nose while blood poured out of it and Edward's lip was cut, but he still looked pretty pissed off.

"If you _ever_ say anything ever again about my girlfriend, it'll be more than your nose, Black," Edward warned.

"Yeah, whatever, Cullen," Jacob spit. "Your girlfriend's a cheap slut anyway. Good luck hanging onto her."

"You fucking shut up right now, Black, before I come and castrate you," Edward ground out through his teeth. "Don't underestimate me. I love that so-called cheap slut, you piece of shit."

I gasped a little bit at Edward's very public admittance to being in love with me. It was the first time either of us had said it in front of anyone.

"See you at the final, Cullen," Jacob said before he got hauled away by his friends. "We'll see who's better then."

"Whatever," Edward muttered, waving dismissively.

I let go of Garrett and walked over to my boyfriend.

"Thank you," I whispered as I slipped my arms around his neck. He gripped me tightly around the back.

"Always," he murmured in my hair. "I'm always here for you."

"I love you," I sighed.

"I love you, too."

"Awe, get a God damn room!" Emmett cried.

"Shut up, Em," I shot back before kissing Edward gently on the lips. He flinched; the cut on his lip was fairly deep. I could taste his blood on my tongue, but I didn't care. No one had ever done that for me before.

After that, there was no way in hell La Push would be getting first place. They had just fanned the fire, and there was no stopping us now.

* * *

**Sorry for being so late, I had to go grad dress shopping and then I watched my sister at dance competitions. Two more chapters and an epilogue after this. The next chapter is going to be, for the most part, strictly hockey, and pretty boring for some of you. But, I promise, the first half, well, it's going to be lemon gin fo sho.**

**Love,  
Mary**


	23. Chapter 22

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Awe  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

* * *

The boys were all ready to rock after the party at James'. I'd never seen them so intense about a game since I'd moved here at the beginning of the season. There was more than first place to win, there were bragging rights, too. The boys took that very seriously.

The first game was in La Push on Friday. Jasper was back in net and the lines were all even so that we had a strong defence and a strong offence. Emmett and Edward were on the same line, James and Mike were on another, and Ben and Tyler were on the other. Everyone was fighting hard on both teams. It was the most nerve-wracking game I'd ever watched in my life. I couldn't even be bothered with my sign; I would have ripped it to shreds. Instead, I twisted my empty water bottle, ripping off the labels and chewing on the cap. I needed to do something to let the stress out of my body, and that was the only reasonable solution.

In the end, we tied three-three. It sucked, but it could have been much worse. At least La Push didn't have a point up on us. The game in Forks would be a clean slate, and playing on home ice was always better than playing an away game.

The boys couldn't, and didn't even feel like, partying on Friday night because the deciding game was on Saturday. They all got their rest and ate a good carb-filled supper with their families. Charlie slaved over tapes of the La Push team and stats from our team. He was stressed out beyond belief. This was a huge moment for him. It wouldn't be world-renown, but Charlie would definitely feel better if he managed to beat Billy Black in the final game of the year.

La Push wasn't showing up to the rink until six-thirty and the game didn't start until seven-thirty. Edward told me, didn't ask, _told,_ that I was coming over to his house at four so he could calm his nerves. He said that he was freaking out and it would do nothing but bad for the team. How could I not go over when he put it like that? This wasn't just Edward we were talking about; this was my dad and my best friends. I wanted them to win this.

So, at three-thirty, I got into Charlie's truck and drove to Edward's, leaving him behind to pull his hair out and drink another pot of coffee.

The house was quiet when I walked in without knocking. Usually something was going on at the Cullen house, whether it be Alice and Edward fighting over the TV remote or Esme chastising Carlisle for eating while she was cooking. It was bizarre.

I walked up the stairs, being extra quiet for some reason. It felt like I was going to disturb some kind of peace if I ran or talked too loudly.

When I got to Edward's room, I opened the door slowly, peeking in. He was flat-out on his bed, staring at the ceiling with nothing but his boxers on. His Underarmour shirt and sweats were laid out on his couch and his hockey stick was propped up against the wall beside his window.

"Hey, babe," I murmured when I closed the door behind me.

Edward looked up, smiling crookedly. "Hey, you came."

"Well, you told me to," I reminded him, sauntering slowly over to his bed.

He sat up and patted his bed. "I need you right now."

I sighed and sat down beside him. He wrapped his arms around my torso before falling back down onto his bed and snuggling his face into my neck and breathing deeply. I tangled my fingers in his hair and kissed the top of his head.

"I'm always here," I whispered.

Edward kissed my neck and then made his way up to my mouth, parting my lips with his tongue and moving his lean body on top of mine. His hands moved underneath my long-sleeved shirt, pulling it up over my stomach, so his fingers could brush underneath my bra. We discarded my shirt quickly, and before I could even think about breathing again, Edward undid the button and zipper on my jeans. I lifted my hips and he removed them quickly.

He continued moving his tongue in my mouth, his hands all over my body, in my hair, on my face. He was everywhere all at once and I could barely comprehend what was going on.

We rolled over so that I was straddling Edward now. I could feel him against my thigh, hard and prominent. I unclasped my bra and kissed Edward slowly as I threw it on the floor. I kissed him all the way down his neck and stomach, and he lifted his hips so I could remove his boxers. He sprang free from the loose confines. I could hear his breathing hitch as I kissed the engorged tip before taking him in my mouth.

Minutes later, I swallowed Edward's cum and was attacked by him. I fell backwards, laughing against his mouth and letting him kiss me everywhere. He got rid of my boy shorts quickly and teased my entrance with his fingers.

"Please, Edward," I gasped.

He kissed me once more before grabbing a condom and rolling it on before pushing himself inside. The fullness overtook my senses and my abdomen started squeezing around him as he thrusted. Edward kissed me as he rocked back and forth, hitting a nice spot deep within me. Soon, my stomach was so tight that I could barely breathe. Edward hit that spot one more time before I clamped down around him, crying out his name and grasping his biceps tightly. He thrust a couple more times before he came within me, groaning and collapsing on me, his body stiff as he rode out his orgasm.

I ran my fingers through his hair again as my heart and breathing started to slow down. He pulled out of me and pulled the covers over our heads. I giggled as he rested his head in between my boobs and closed his eyes, wearing a big, stupid grin.

"Did you get rid of your nerves?" I teased.

"Oh, yeah, they're definitely gone," Edward replied with a chuckle. "How can I not feel like a rock star when I have a hot girlfriend like you that's willing to do stuff like that?"

I rolled my eyes. "You are so goofy, my friend."

"You like it," he sighed.

"I pretend to like it," I corrected him. "I'm really only in it for the sex."

Edward's laugh vibrated against my skin. "I'm not _that_ good."

"Oh! Cocky Edward has finally come down off his high horse?" I asked. "Wow, this is monumental! I wished I would have recorded this."

"Shut up," Edward mumbled, "I'm trying to enjoy this peaceful moment with this girl I love, and you're ruining it."

I laughed quietly, still running my fingers through his hair.

We showered together quickly and I got ready using Alice's stuff. I knew she wouldn't mind. Edward left while I was still applying my make-up, kissing me on the forehead and smacking my ass "for good luck."

When I arrived at the rink shortly after seven, the stands were already packed. Teams that had been knocked out by the Wolves and the Kings came to watch the big final, friends, family, and enemies. Everyone was in our rink, waiting to find out who would win it all.

The first period consisted of figuring out the advancements each team had made. La Push managed to get a goal on Jasper, but it was nothing we couldn't fix in the next period. I was stiff with anxiety the entire time and Esme was swearing like a sailor drunk on whiskey.

Second period was more intense. The Kings pushed harder than they had before, and we tied things up within five minutes. Unfortunately, the Wolves were coming back harder, too. The managed to up us two points before the clock hit ten. The rest of the period was just the Wolves playing with us, letting us think we'd have a chance at the net. We ended the period at three to one, and I was ready to throw up I was so nervous. I wished I could give Edward a kiss to calm him down. I could see how nervous he was out there. All of them were full to the brim with butterflies.

"Well, either way, they're winners in my book," Esme murmured as we walked into the lobby from the stands. "It would just be nice for Edward to end on a good note."

I sighed. "Hopefully Dad's kicking their asses right now for being so nervous. They play so much better when they're sure of themselves."

Esme nodded and took a sip of her coffee.

The third period was so intense that my stomach was in knots. Ben and Edward were on the same line now, and they worked well together. Ben got a breakaway and Edward was right on his tail. They only had one defence man in their end, so it would be no problem for them to get around him and to the Wolves' weak goalie. Ben got the goal and Edward and he celebrated. Maybe this would get them back into the swing of things.

As the period wore on, I became more and more aware of how much time we were losing. Thirteen minutes left…ten minutes left…seven minutes… We needed two goals, and we needed them now. Esme was swearing up a storm.

"Pass the puck, Emmett!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air. "Fuck! All God damn year you've been passing the puck and now you fuck up! What the hell is going on out there, boys? Go blue! Come on, you little shits!"

Edward and Ben came flying on the ice, Edward grabbing the puck and passing it up to Ben before flying down the ice. Ben passed it back to him, Edward gave a mean wrist shot, and… He scored! We were tied with only six minutes left in the period!

La Push turned on the defence and we kept pushing offence. Charlie wanted this series to be done with tonight, in our rink, in our town. Three minutes left and we were fighting to get the puck close to the net. James was out on the ice. He checked someone hard, and pushed the puck out front before the kid he hit had time to react. Edward got a hold of the puck and tried tipping it in the net, but Jacob was standing beside him and he nailed Edward.

The ref called interference. Jacob was pissed. He was yelling at the ref for some unknown reason. The ref gave him an unsportsmanlike penalty as well. The main competition was out for the rest of the game. Luck was on our side tonight.

One minute left and we were still tied. The crowd started to count down the seconds. Edward grabbed the puck at the blue line and nailed it at the goalie, there was a rebound and Ben was standing in the right place at the right time. He tipped it in for our fourth goal. I jumped up and screamed, tears blurring my vision as the rest of the crowd erupted in cheers.

Edward jumped on Ben, pumping his fist in the air. There were only thirty seconds left. Charlie put out the defence and we ran the clock, hitting bodies left, right, and centre. We the buzzer rang, Esme and I hugged, cheering as loudly as we could for our boys.

The guys out on the ice were in a circle, hitting each other on the helmets and screaming at the tops of their lungs. Jacob slammed his hockey stick against the plexi-glass. The Wolves were hurting, and it felt amazing to be on the other side.

"Congratulations to the 2009 AAA Champions, the Kings of Forks!" the announcer yelled in the mike.

The crowd roared as the teams shook hands. Pictures were taken, the plaque was kissed by everyone, and Emmett and Mike lifted Charlie into the air and carried him off the ice. I ran down to meet them at the exit to their changing room. When Edward came off the ice, I grabbed him around the waist – he gained another six inches from his skates – and he leaned down to kiss me hard on the lips.

"Congratulations, rock star!" I exclaimed. "You were excellent!"

"Thanks, babe," he replied, grinning from ear-to-ear. "I'll meet you upstairs, okay?"

I nodded and kissed him one more time.

Nothing could possibly beat this day. This was the best day of our lives.

* * *

**One more chapter and an epi. Probably post both of those on Wednesday, I hope. I should post one tomorrow, but I'm going to Hedley for free! Yeeeah! **

**Love,  
Mary**


	24. Chapter 23

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Collide  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

**This is the final chapter! Ah! I've loved this story, and I think this is the most I've written since I started writing a year and a half ago. I'm glad I did TT25. (: ...but next time I think I'll stick to drabbles. ;)**

**

* * *

  
**

I waited in the lobby with the rest of the ecstatic fans while the boys showered and got dressed in their suits. More pictures were waiting to be snapped and there was a keg waiting at Emmett's house with our names written on it. We knew we'd need it, whether we won or lost. We were either going to drink away our sorrows or celebrate. Thankfully it was in celebration.

Alice was bouncing around, hugging moms and dads and squealing with younger sisters. This was her scene. She fit right in with excited. Rosalie was grinning as she listened to Emmett's dad explain the game to her. Jasper's parents were talking to Esme excitedly. There was an awesome feeling in the air. Winning never felt so good.

The younger guys were the first ones to come up the stairs. They all grinned and looked at the floor, their hands shoved in their pockets as we cheered for them. Ben kissed Angela in front of the entire crowd, causing an eruption to occur. Angela blushed fiercely and smiled. Garrett whooped and hollered as he made his way through the crowd. I gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek when he stopped to say hi to me. I hadn't seen him grin that wide in a while.

Eric, Mike, and Tyler came up next. Eric and Kate hugged and kissed, while Mike and Tyler played up the crowd, getting claps on the back from the dads and hugs from the moms. Jasper, Emmett, and Edward followed soon after. Since Edward was the captain and Emmett was the assistant-captain, they received the most cheers. Alice jumped at Jasper, kissing him loudly on the mouth before smiling for the cameras. Emmett spun Rosalie around in his arms, his booming laughter echoing throughout the room. Edward hugged me tightly and got pictures with me before going with the rest of his team.

I watched fondly as my boys celebrated and smiled. All the nervousness was gone, replaced with joy so immense you couldn't help but to be affected by it. They ate their burgers quickly and said goodbye to their parents before changing into party clothes and taking off for Emmett's house while the parents all remained at the rink to sit in the bar for hours to talk about the glory of their sons.

Edward and I decided that we were going to stay at Emmett's tonight, so we hopped in Edward's truck and sped towards his farm. I sat in the middle seat, my hand in Edward's hair, the music cranked, and beer already cracked and being drunk. We sang to Down With Webster and Lady Antebellum, the only country band Edward could handle.

People were piling into the house when we got there. The entire hockey team and all of our non-athletic friends were at the house, tapping into the keg and getting trashed in honour of the Kings.

Games were played, stories were shared, laughter was loud. Everything about this party reeked of happiness and I was bursting with contentment. Edward and I got absolutely hammered drunk and partied with our friends without regard to how much it'd hurt in the morning. Nothing mattered but the good time we were having in the present.

When it was time to go home and my eyes kept rolling into the back of my head, Edward and I walked into the spare room and collapsed on the bed. I laid my head on his heartbeat and fell asleep to the rhythm.

Life couldn't possibly get any better than that night. That night was happiness without restrictions, and I loved every second of it.

* * *

**It was short, but there isn't much to say. The epilogue will be posted ****tonight, after I finish editing****. Thank you for reading. So much. You have no idea how it means to me when you guys give me a review. I love you all infinite amounts.**

**Love,  
Mary**


	25. Epilogue

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: **Lithe  
**Pen name:** ladyinblue6  
**Pairing:** Canon and non-canon  
**Rating:** M

* * *

Forks was a small town, so they could get away with a lot of things that other, larger towns couldn't. For example, instead of having a "quiet get together" after grad, Forkians had something called a "safe grad." A safe grad entailed this: You get to invite people, up to ten for our class. Your invites can pre-order drinks. On graduation day, all of your invites come to your house, and then your parents or guardians drive them out to the party, where they can drink their faces off and party until the sun comes up.

It's fantastic.

I invited friends from Phoenix and Renee and Phil came to be chaperones, since Charlie isn't allowed to be around underage drinking. Not that he really cares.

The party was amazing. We got a DJ from Port Angeles, there was a giant tent set up in McCarty's yard, and everyone had an amazing time. Everyone got piled and danced the night away.

In the morning, my friends from Phoenix were raving about it. We get to hang out in a ballroom at a hotel in Phoenix. This was a million times better, according to them. I agreed.

Edward and I moved to Calgary at the end of June, so he could start training with the team he had been drafted to. Even though I was technically a Canadian, I didn't know much about it. There weren't many differences, but it took some getting used to, especially when you move into Calgary, the home of the Calgary Stampede.

Little things like Tim Horton's over Starbucks or toques instead of beanies. And, for the most part, everyone's much more polite in Canada than in the States, but many people could assume that from stereotypes.

We loved it in Calgary. School was good, hockey was good, the drinking age, eighteen in Alberta, was amazing. We made new friends and visited old ones whenever we could.

When it came time to pick players for the junior team, Edward was considered, and after he nailed the try-out camp, he became assistant captain for Team U.S.A. in the 2010/2011 World Juniors, held in Buffalo. Since Edward had just turned eighteen in June, he could still get another year in at the World Junior level.

Charlie, Garrett, and Ben managed to get tickets to come watch Edward play. The competition was intense and the little differences in the rules got a lot of American and Canadian fans pissed off. Of course, the rivalry between Canada and the U.S. was thick. Edward even knew a lot of the guys on Team Canada, but he refused to recognize them. In fact, I think he hit them harder and showed off for them more often than the other guys he didn't know.

It was a great tournament, and everyone knew it. The rivalry, the playing, the hitting, the scoring... It all made it an awesome way to spend our Christmas break. And seeing three familiar faces wasn't so bad either.

A lot of people were watching Edward. Thankfully he pulled out an awesome game every time, which kept the eyes on him. There was no doubt in my mind that he'd be getting offers soon. Maybe not this year, but next year for sure.

So many things happened within a year-and-a-half of me meeting Edward for the first time, and I wouldn't change trade it for the world.

In the end, it didn't matter where Edward went, I would follow. I loved him to the moon and back, more than I could even begin to comprehend. Amazingly, he felt the same way. Yes, we weren't perfect, but really, who is? The fact that Edward's cocky around his teammates but a sweetheart around me is just how Edward is. I'm obnoxious and crazy when I go out, but when we're at home, alone, I'm quiet and meek, and I melt whenever he touches me.

Yeah, I wouldn't trade my life for anyone's. This is how it was meant to be: My hockey boyfriend and me.

--

Edward had been playing in Detroit for four years now. At the age of twenty-three, many people thought he was just getting warmed up to become a hockey whore. People were literally waiting for the day Edward would drop me and pick up three other nameless girls with fake boobs and plastic hair.

That day would never come now.

We got married in secret at the courthouse with only our parents, siblings, and best friends present. I wore a wedding band now, and so did Edward. The only time he took it off was when he was out on the ice, and when he was playing, he had it on a chain, around his neck.

Life couldn't possibly be any better. I was married, I lived in a beautiful apartment with a beautiful man, and, even though it wouldn't have made any difference, I didn't have to worry about money. I wouldn't ever have to worry about money.

All I had to worry about was being happy, which was damn near impossible not to be.

**END**


	26. Fandom Gives Back

Were you not satisfied with the missing pieces in Seducing Revenge? Upset with the ending of Suave Secrets? Wanted to hear a little more from Edward in The Kings of Forks? Interested in a continuation of any of my one-shots? Here's your chance to get exactly what you want!

I'm participating in Fandom Gives Back this summer. I'm offering three one-shots on a first come, first serve basis; one one-shot in a real auction-style, and one multi-chapter story in a real auction-style.

Here's the link to everything you can bid on:  
http:/www(.)thefandomgivesback(.)com/yourauctions(.)php  
Without the brackets, obviously.

I already have a bid on the multi-chapter! So if you're interested in that, hustle your bustle over to the site and start bidding!

Bidding ends on July 4, 2010.

Thanks very much for the support!  
lib6


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